The Punjab Police have registered a case against former Minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia under the Narcotic Drugs And Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, triggering a political furore ahead of the Assembly elections, due in early 2022.

The Shiroamni Akali Dal, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Punjab Lok Congress hit out at the ruling Congress government, saying the action was influenced by ‘political vindictiveness’ and was “an election stunt”.

According to police sources, an FIR has been registered under Sections 25 (allowing premises etc to be used for commission of an offence under the Act), 27A (financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders) and 29 (abetment and criminal conspiracy) of the NDPS Act against the Akali Dal leader at the Bureau of Investigation (BoI) in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali).

STF report

Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu said the FIR had been registered on the basis of February 2018 Special Task Force (STF) report. Notably, IPS officer Harpreet Singh Sidhu, chief of the anti-drug STF, had in 2018 submitted a report on the drug trade in the State, following a directive from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The report has still not been made public.

Mr. Sidhu tweeted, “An FIR has been registered in Punjab Police Crime Branch against the main culprits of drug trade on basis of February 2018 Special Task Force (STF report), wherein I demanded this 4 years ago – It is a slap on the face of all those powerful who slept for years on issues at the heart of Punjab’s soul.”

“After 5.5 Years of fight against Corrupt System run by Badal Family & Captain and delay of 4 years without action taken on ED & STF Report against Majithia. Finally now, after pushing for credible officers in positions of power and influence first step has been taken!!” he added.

‘Diverting attention’

Shiromani Akali Dal leaders said the Congress government was indulging in vendetta politics by registering a false case against Mr. Majithia after failing to implicate the top Akali leadership in sacrilege cases and to divert attention from its failure in taking action on the recent incidents of sacrilege at Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar.

Senior leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra, Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Daljit Singh Cheema said, “Punjab wants peace and communal harmony. Instead of ensuring this and exposing the conspirators behind the ghastly cases of sacrilege, the Congress government has chosen to file a fabricated case against Mr. Majithia after throwing all principles of law and justice to the winds.”

2004 incident

The leaders said the FIR had been registered in relation to an incident which had occurred in 2004 during a time when the Congress was in power in the State. “Moreover the entire report of the STF headed by Mr. Harpreet Sidhu has been reproduced in the FIR. The Congress government must tell how it has reproduced a report which is lying in a sealed envelope in the High Court in the FIR registered against Mr. Majithia,” they said.

The Aam Aadmi Party termed the latest FIR against Mr. Majithia an “election stunt” of the ruling Congress.

AAP’s Punjab co-in-charge Raghav Chadha said, “If the Congress government really wanted to bring justice to the people in the drug case, then why no major investigation or action has been taken since March 16, 2017 [the day the Congress came to power in Punjab] till date?”

The AAP leader said the Congress regime was now a government of only one week. The election code of conduct would be implemented in the next few days and all the powers of the Charanjit Singh Channi government would end. Therefore, for electoral gains, the Congress government was trying to make a fool out of the people of Punjab by doing the drama of FIR, he said.

‘Won’t stand legal scrutiny’

Punjab Lok Congress chief Capt. Amarinder Singh said the case registered against Mr. Majithia would not stand legal scrutiny as the government had not followed due process of law. He asked on what basis the government had registered the case since the report on drug trafficking was still lying with the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a sealed cover. “After all, there is a law in the country and I am sure it will not stand the legal scrutiny in the court of law”, he said, adding, “just because you don’t like someone, you can’t put him behind bars”.

Capt. Singh also condemned the killing of the sacrilege accused in the Golden Temple and Kapurthala, saying the accused should have been handed over to the police.