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The involvement of senior police officers “may suggest illegal gratification of the criminal or his accomplices,” the court said, ordering a fresh investigation.
Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi walks out of an Amritsar court in October 2022 amid tight police security. His group was involved in the killing of singer Sidhu Moose Wala, and politician Baba Siddique recently. (Getty Images)
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday criticized the Punjab Police for providing a “studio-like environment” to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi for a September 2022 television interview that led to “criminal glorification”.
Reprimanding the Punjab government for failing to comply with the August 2024 order that directed disciplinary action against senior police officers who helped conduct the interview, Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Lapita Banerji said: studio to conduct the interview. Official Wi-Fi on CIA staff premises was provided to conduct interviews indicative of a criminal conspiracy. The report reveals that roznamcha was also established and established.”
The court noted that this issue requires further investigation and other matters related to the cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act should be considered apart from other cases.
The involvement of senior police officers “may suggest illegal gratification of the criminal or his associates,” the court said, ordering a reinvestigation by a three-member panel headed by Prabodh Kumar, Director General of Police in charge of the state office. Human Rights Commission.
The development came after the SIT constituted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court revealed that Bishnoi’s first interview “promoting crime and criminals” was conducted while he was on the premises of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) in Punjab’s Kharar and the second interview was in Jaipur jail. .
In the previous proceedings, the court had expressed shock over the SIT investigating the TV interviews given by the gangster, for its failure to bind the court on the Punjab Police’s recommendation to withdraw the FIR in the matter.
Last week seven police officers were suspended, but only two were police officers – Deputy Superintendent Gursheer Singh and Sammer Vaneet. “No action seems to be taken by the senior officials of the district…” the court observed while seeking answers from the Punjab police chief.
Lawrence Bishnoi, who was found by the court to be involved in 71 criminal cases in Punjab alone, including four under the anti-terrorism act UAPA, is also a suspect in the murder of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala. He had an interview with a Hindi news channel in March 2023.
The court was also angered by copies of the interview that reappeared on the Internet despite a December order that it be removed from all social media. “These interviews are said to have gathered more than 12 million people. It can have a negative impact on impressionable young people. Punjab is a border state and any breakdown of law and order or increase in crime may affect the security of the country.”
- Location :
Chandigarh, India