AAP’s Bhagwant Mann with Sukhpal Khaira come out of CM’s residence after in Chandigarh Tuesday. Kamleshwar Singh
A delegation of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders met Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh Tuesday and demanded that the state government should take action against all police officers named in the STF report and remove them, including DGP Suresh Arora and DGP (Intelligence) Dinkar Gupta, from their posts to ensure a fair probe into all drug related cases.
The delegation, comprising state co-president Dr Balbir Singh, Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Khaira, Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu and several MLAs, told the Chief Minister that the continuation of these officers in key positions has allowed the drug-police nexus to flourish.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Mann said that the delegation has demanded revamping of police force from top to bottom to tackle the drug menace. “Transfer of one SSP and dismissal of a DSP is not enough. We have pointed out that the Chattopadyay report indicts DGP Suresh Arora and DGP (Intelligence) Dinkar Gupta. Good officers have been posted on inconsequential appointments while favorites are serving in important ones,” he said.
Sukhpal Khaira said that the CM was apprised that a Special Vidhan Sabha Session must be called to discuss the drug issue and an action plan is prepared and legislators are empowered to address drug-related grievances of the people. He also said that it was demanded that the STF report submitted in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the issue of drugs be made public and implemented and action must be taken on it without any further delay and names of the politicians named therein made
public.
CM rules out inquiry against Arora, Gupta
Responding to the issues raised by the AAP delegation, Captain Amarinder Singh said he had sought a report on the allegations of involvement in drugs against the new Moga SSP, Kamaljit Singh, but ruled out an inquiry against the state Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora and DGP (Intelligence) Dinkar Gupta over allegations of shielding the former SSP Raj Jit Singh. Amarinder said three big drug dealers who had fled India had been identified and the police and other agencies were in pursuit of them.