Punjab Police has reportedly filed an FIR against former Akali Dal minister Bikram Singh Majithia in connection with an earlier drugs case, likely to raise the political temperature ahead of the 2022 Punjab elections.
Sources said the FIR was registered after fresh probe indicated Majithia’s alleged involvement in the Banur drug smuggling case. Earlier, Majithia was acquitted in this case.
Though police officials remained silent about the FIR, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu took to Twitter to announce the development.
After 5.5 years of fight against the corrupt system run by Badal family and Capt and 4 years delay without acting on ED and STF report against Majithia. Finally now, the first step has been taken by pushing credible officials into positions of power and influence!” He tweeted.
“An FIR has been registered in Punjab Police Crime Branch against the main culprits of drug trade based on February 2018 STF report in which I made this demand 4 years back – it is a slap on the face of all powerful people who have been fighting for years. Issues in the heart of Punjab’s soul (sic) kept sleeping till,” he said.
Unless the main culprits of the drug mafia are given exemplary punishment, justice will not be served, this is only a first step, we will fight till the punishment is given which acts as a deterrent for generations. We should choose honest and righteous people and stay away from drug smugglers and their patrons.- Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sheryontopp) December 21, 2021
A few days ago, the Congress government led by Charanjit Singh Channi had appointed Siddharth Chattopadhyay as Director General of Police and replaced Iqbal Preet Sahota. Sidhu had been pushing for Sahota’s removal, increasing pressure on his party-led government to take action against Majithia in drug-related cases.
Majithia is the brother of former cabinet minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is married to Akali Dal leader and former deputy CM Sukhbir Badal.
The FIR coincides with police registering a case against unidentified persons for leaking a letter by Bureau of Investigation chief SK Asthana, in which he allegedly cited legal hurdles in conducting a fresh probe against Majithia.
The Akali Dal has denied the allegations and called it political vendetta. Party supremo and former CM Parkash Singh Badal said that despite having no evidence, the government acted in haste, exposing its “sinister agenda”.
“In the last few days, he has changed three DGPs. This was done only to implicate Badal and Majithia as the earlier officials did not agree to do so without valid reasons. I am telling them – take me, take me anywhere, I am ready. This is vendetta politics to weaken Akali Dal and Punjab. The government will pay the price for this. They have filed many cases against me and even my wife in the past. We never did the politics of vendetta against the Congress during our rule. We will fight it,” Parkash Singh Badal said.
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