Former Cabinet Minister Sangat Singh Gilzian has demanded that the investigation into allegations against Tanda SHO Gurinderjit Singh Nagra should be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), saying the matter is too serious to be investigated only by the Punjab Police.
Addressing a press conference at Tanda on Wednesday, Gilzian said if a police officer responsible for maintaining law and order is named in such a serious case, an independent and high-level probe is necessary.
Referring to media reports, he said the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), under its ongoing Operation Hard Ball, has filed a case in a US court alleging that the SHO was involved in the extortion of nearly $400,000.
Related news: FBI accuses Punjab cop of $400,000 extortion bid, links him to US gang probe
Hoshiarpur SHO, accused by FBI of extortion, sent to Police Lines
Gilzian said it was unlikely that a police station in-charge alone could have amassed such a large amount. He urged investigators to probe the role of any senior officials or political leaders who may have provided support or protection.
He said merely transferring the SHO to the Police Lines and ordering a fact-finding inquiry was not enough, especially when the allegations had drawn international attention.
The former minister further claimed that several allegations had earlier been made against the SHO during his more than two-year posting at Tanda. He also alleged that an innocent youth had been falsely booked and sent to jail in a case related to the alleged disrespect of the Aam Aadmi Party's broom symbol.
Gilzian also demanded investigation into the alleged illegal mining activities in the Beas and the people allegedly protecting those involved. He said any link between police officials and gangsters was a matter of grave concern.
He further alleged that during the Municipal Council and Block Samiti elections, Congress candidates had complained of threats from gangsters, but the police failed to provide justice. He claimed that a nexus of police, politicians, the mining mafia and gangsters was operating in the Tanda area.
Repeating his demand, Gilzian said only an impartial probe by a central agency like the NIA could bring out the truth and ensure legal action against anyone found guilty.
District Congress president Advocate Daljit Singh Gilzian, block president Avtar Singh Khokhar, and other Congress leaders Davinder Singh Budhi Pind, Babu Roop Lal and Gursewak Marshal were also present.