Fresh intel sugggests threat to Majithia from Khalistani outfits

As per the official documents accessed by The Indian Express, a day after the Akali leader surrendered before the court and was put in judicial custody, Additional Director General of Police (Internal Security) in a letter to ADGP (Prisons) and ADGP (Security) wrote, “According to a fresh input, pro-Khalistan elements based abroad are planning to target Bikram Singh Majithia”.

The correspondence further read, “He is on the hit list of pro-Khalistani organizations like BKI (Babbar Khalsa International), KTF (Khalistan Tiger Force), KZF (Khalistan Zindabad Force) etc being close member of Badal family.”

The February 25 correspondence accessed by The Indian Express added: “The foreign based KTF terrorists with help of their Punjab-based activists/gangsters had planned to gain access to…Majithia with a view to target him. In view of the above, you are requested to make necessary arrangements during his stay in judicial custody.

On the same day, ADGP Security, as per the official correspondence accessed by The Indian Express, while seeking to make necessary arrangements for Majithia’s security’s wrote to ADGP Prisons that “concerned jail authorities be sensitized accordingly to avert from any mischief to Majithia”.

Additional DGP PK Sinha, when contacted, said, “Special security measures have been put in place for Majithia as per threat perception received from various security agencies.”

Sources said that Majithia has been isolated in “one section of the jail” and that “very strict access control is maintained in that part” where it is “ensured that he is isolated and insulated”.

The Indian Express had first reported that after being sent to judicial custody, Majithia had asked for badminton racquets. Top sources in the jail department said that Majithia recently started to cook food for self, the option which is given by the jails department to the under-trials.

Majithia finished third in Amritsar East Assembly constituency in February 20 elections, where he was locked in what was termed as titans’ contest in Punjab with then state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. However, the seat was bagged by AAP’s Jeevan Jyot Kaur, who defeated nearest rival Sidhu.

In one of the major decisions after Aam Aadmi Party came to power in the state, the Punjab Police recently reconstituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe charges against Majithia in the drugs case against him.

Supervised by IG (Crime) Gursharan Singh Sandhu and headed by AIG Dr Rahul S, the new SIT was constituted with the approval of State DGP on March 16, the day Bhagwant Mann was sworn in as chief minister at Khatkar Kalan.

As per the official order, other members of the SIT are AIG Ranjit Singh Dhillon, DSPs Raghbir Singh and Amarpreet Singh.

A day after he was booked, on December 21 last year, then Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi led government constituted a three-member committee headed by AIG Balraj Singh. There was a controversy after AIG Balraj Singh’s son was given out of turn promotion in local rank as inspector days after when S Chattopadhyaya was appointed the state police chief.

The case against Majithia, which was linked to set of multi-crore drug cases involving number of other accused, was registered under sections of 25 (allowing premises, etc., to be used for commission of an offence), 27 A (financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders) and section 29 ( abetment and criminal conspiracy) of The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 by the Punjab Bureau of Investigation at Punjab State Crime Police Station in Mohali on the complaint of Station House Officer Kailash Bahadur.

DGP V K Bhawra did not respond to the calls and text sent to him on his official mobile number.