Punjab cop Raj Jit Singh sacked after HC makes public SIT reports on drug menace

Reports submitted in sealed covers by SIT chief Siddharth Chattopadhayaya in 2018 were recently made public by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The SIT, which investigated Raj Jit Singh’s “connivance” with dismissed ORP inspector Inderjit Singh, said in one of the reports that the latter had smuggled drugs from Pakistan with the aid of smugglers like the late Gurjeet Singh, Sahab Singh, Dalbir Singh and dismissed BSF jawan Suresh Kumar Tyagi. It also stated that Inderjit Singh’s connivance with several other officers would be the subject of a separate inquiry.

“Huge amounts were mobilized as loans/gifts by Raj Jit Singh during the relevant period. Although intimations have been given by Raj Jit Singh to his department in respect of these loans/gifts, the financial capacity of those individuals who had given such loans/gifts is required to be investigated,” the report read. “There is a sudden rise in the assets by Raj Jit Singh and his family members, for the period 2013 onwards, which gives definite scope for further inquiry.”.

The report also mentions how a piece of 7 kanal and 2 marla land was gifted to Raj Jit’s wife, Mukhbir Kaur, was gifted to her by her brother Baksheesh Singh. They mentioned the value of the property as Rs 40 lakh. The investigations revealed that the property was of a higher value. Similarly, another piece of 500 square yard land in Mohali district was gifted to Raj Jit by an NRI, Mani Singh. Its value was shown to be Rs 20 lakh.

The report stated that “to substantiate or disprove the allegations of complicity between the said Indejit Singh and Raj Jit Singh (then SSP Moga), investigation was also conducted to unearth the financial dealings, if any, between these two persons during the relevant period. It was also required to analyse the assets acquired by Raj Jit Singh, with a particular emphasis on the mobilization of funds by him for these acquisitions, and whether any such funds could be linked up with the ill-gotten money extorted by lnderjit Singh from various accused persons nominated in the criminal cases under NDPS Act registered by him in district Tarn Taran when Raj Jit Singh was posted as SSP Tarn Taran”.

The SIT report said that for the purpose, “the office of DGP, Punjab was requested to furnish copies of the annual property returns filed by Raj Jit Singh. An analysis of these property returns has revealed that there has definitely been an upswing in the immovable assets owned by Raj Jit Singh, from the year 2013 onwards”.

Alleging “certain serious acts of misconduct” on the part of Inderjit Singh, the report states that “there are many other officers who have got Inderjit Singh posted under them from time to time and similar complicity of Inderjit Singh (ORP Inspector, now dismissed) with those officers can be a subject matter of a separate inquiry/ investigation”.

The SIT, constituted by the court on December 15, 2017, investigated the allegations of complicity of Raj Jit Singh “in respect of his alleged association with Inderjit Singh” on the basis of an FIR registered in June 2017.

Among the four SIT reports submitted in sealed covers, three were opened by the court during a recent hearing of a suo motu case. The court left it open to the government to take action on the SIT reports “in case they wish to do so”.

Another report dated May 8, 2018, was submitted by SIT chief hattopadhyaya in his personal capacity. The SIT also had two other members, former inspectors-general Kunwar Vijay Pratap and IGP Prabodh Kumar.