7 cops including 2 DSPs suspended in Lawrence gangster jail interview case

Chandigarh: In a crackdown on alleged negligence, seven Punjab police officers, including two Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), have been suspended in connection with interviews given by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi from jail.

The action follows an investigation led by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was formed by order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to probe these incidents.

The SIT found multiple officers guilty of dereliction of duty, leading the state’s Home Department, under Principal Secretary Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, to issue suspension orders late Friday.

The suspended officers include DSPs Gursher Singh of Amritsar’s 9th Battalion and Samar Vanith, along with Sub Inspectors Reena (CIA Kharar), Jagatpal Jangoo (AGTF), Shaganjit Singh (AGTF), ASI Mukhtyar Singh, and Head Constable Om Prakash.

The case gained notoriety after two separate interviews of Lawrence Bishnoi went viral. The first, reportedly conducted on September 3 and 4, 2023, took place while Bishnoi was in custody at CIA Kharar in Punjab.

The second interview was recorded at Jaipur Central Jail in Rajasthan. In his first interview, aired on March 14, 2023, Bishnoi confessed to his involvement in the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, citing Moosewala’s alleged role in the gang-linked murder of his friend, Vicky Middukhera, as a motive.

In his second interview, Bishnoi provided evidence of accessing a mobile phone within the prison, detailing how mobile devices were smuggled into the jail, often by being thrown over the walls or through inside help.

He described how he was able to use these phones during the night, when prison guard supervision was minimal.

The SIT’s findings have raised significant concerns over jail security protocols and the involvement of certain police personnel in aiding or neglecting Bishnoi’s unauthorized access to communication devices.