AAP Punjab chief spokesperson and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has called for Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia and Jagdish Bhola to be questioned face-to-face by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), saying this would help bring the “truth” about the drug case to light.
Dhaliwal said every aspect of the alleged drug network should be investigated and that no person should receive special treatment. He alleged that the drug network spread during the 2007-2017 Akali-BJP government and claimed Majithia and his associates played a major role.
He defended the Bhagwant Mann government’s ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ campaign, saying its objective was to make Punjab drug-free and not pursue political vendetta. He said thousands of smugglers had been put behind bars and action was continuing against people involved in the drug trade.
He said the law should apply equally to all.
Dhaliwal also targeted the BJP over drug trafficking, alleging that large quantities of drugs were entering through ports in BJP-ruled Gujarat before being moved through different routes towards states including Punjab. He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah should answer questions about drugs coming through Gujarat before speaking about the issue in Punjab.
On border security, Dhaliwal said Punjab shares a 532-kilometre international border with Pakistan and that a 50-kilometre area along the border comes under the BSF. He said drones were being used to bring drugs and weapons across the border.
{{/usCountry}}On border security, Dhaliwal said Punjab shares a 532-kilometre international border with Pakistan and that a 50-kilometre area along the border comes under the BSF. He said drones were being used to bring drugs and weapons across the border.
{{/usCountry}}Dhaliwal said Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had repeatedly demanded that the Centre install anti-drone systems and take effective steps to seal the border. He said the Punjab government was doing what fell within its jurisdiction, while border security was the Centre’s responsibility.
SIT summons in 2021 case
A Punjab Police SIT probing the 2021 drug case has now summoned Majithia and Bhola to appear before it on October 5, according to people familiar with the matter. The SIT may question the two face-to-face for the first time in this case.
Majithia was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on December 20, 2021, when the Congress government led by then chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi was in power. The action was based on a 2018 report prepared by then special task force (STF) against drugs head Harpreet Singh Sidhu.
According to the FIR, Majithia was booked under Sections 25, 27A and 29 of the NDPS Act. Majithia and Bhola are out on bail in the case. Bhola had been arrested by Punjab Police in November 2013 in connection with a drug racket and had named Majithia in 2014, a charge the Akali leader has denied.
The case has so far seen five SITs, with the AAP government constituting two of them. No chargesheet has been filed, despite one SIT claiming to have found “clinching evidence” against Majithia. Majithia is learnt to have appeared before the SITs more than 12 times.
The Enforcement Directorate had also investigated the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. In 2023, Punjab Police obtained an Interpol ‘Blue Corner’ Notice against Canada-based Satpreet Singh Thiara, alias Satta, who was nominated as a co-accused in the 2021 NDPS case.