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Punjab: Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira gets two-day police remand in NDPS case
Bholath MLA says Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann resorting to badla ki rajneeti (politics of revenge) instead of practising badlaav ki rajneeti (politics of change); Congress delegation to meet governor in Chandigarh
A Jalalabad court on Thursday remanded Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in two days’ police custody in a case registered against him in 2015 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Khaira, who represents Bholath constituency in the Punjab assembly, was presented before the chief judicial magistrate at Jalalabad in the afternoon following his dramatic arrest at his house in Chandigarh early in the morning.
Also read: Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira arrested by Punjab Police in old drugs case
Criticising chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Khaira told reporters outside the court complex: “They (the Aam Aadmi Party leaders) used to say that we are doing ‘badlaav ki rajneeti (politics of change)’ but they are doing ‘badle ki rajneeti (politics of revenge)’. Bhagwant Mann has become thirsty for blood. I won’t be surprised if he gets me eliminated. I sense something very dangerous and he will be solely responsible.”
Khaira claimed that the AAP had got him arrested to marginalise the Congress in Punjab. “I will fight back and am not scared of them. Ultimately, truth will prevail.”
A Punjab Congress delegation will be meeting governor Banwarilal Purohit in Chandigarh at 6pm.
Drug smuggling, fake passport racket
In 2015, two cases were registered following the unearthing of a cross-border drug smuggling network in Fazilka, leading to the seizure of heroin, gold biscuits, weapons, cartridges, and Pakistani SIM cards; and a fake passport racket being run in Delhi.
As the trial went on, nine smugglers, including Gurdev Singh, Manjit Singh, Harbans Singh, and Subhash Chander, were sentenced in October 2017 in connection with the Fazilka case. According to the chargesheet, Khaira was closely associated with Gurdev Singh, the leader of the Fazilka drug smuggling racket, and is accused of having sheltered him.
The primary accusations against Khaira include supporting an international gang of smugglers, having sheltered him and receiving financial benefits from drug traffickers, and enjoying the proceeds of the crime.
On February 16, 2023, a Supreme Court bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath quashed the summoning order against Khaira in the drugs case.
The arrest of Sukhpal Khaira is expected to further dent the relations of AAP and the Congress which have come together to form the INDIA alliance at the centre. The state unit of the Congress has opposed any tie-up or seat-sharing arrangement with the AAP in Punjab.
