Jail interview: Punjab Police drop 6 charges against Lawrence Bishnoi

Blurb: Only criminal intimidation offence included in final report submitted in Mohali court
The Punjab Police have dropped six charges and included just one of criminal intimidation in the final report filed in January 5 first Information Report (FIR) registered in connection with an interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi conducted by a private channel while he was in the Punjab Police custody.
The final report was filed in a Mohali court on October 9 and includes only one section, 506 of the IPC (criminal intimidation). It is not immediately clear as to who all have been named as accused in the final report. However, initial FIR named Bishnoi as the accused, besides unidentified persons.
The January 5 FIR included seven offences, 384 (extortion), 201 ( concealment of evidence), 202 ( intentionally withholding information about an offence), 506 (criminal intimidation), 116 (abetment of offences that are punishable by imprisonment.), 120-b(criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and 52-A (1) of the Prisons (Punjab Amendment) Act, 2011.
“The said SIT (constituted by the Punjab and Haryana high court) has recommended for filing of cancellation report qua all the offences except offence under Section 506 of the IPC which is non-cognisable offence. He agreed with the SIT report and on their directions, he being SHO of PS State Crime, SAS Nagar, is filing the cancellation report,” the October 9 order of the court of judicial magistrate first class (Mohali), Manpreet Kaur, records inspector Hardeep Singh, SHO of the unit, as deposing at the time when the final report in the FIR was filed.
The case was probed by an SIT constituted by the high court. The SIT was headed by DG, Human Rights Commission, Prabodh Kumar with members Dr S Rahul (IPS), and DIG, (Cyber Crime), Nilambari Vijay Jagadale.
The gangster’s interview was telecast on March 14 and March 17, 2023, when he was in Bathinda jail. The Punjab Police had initially denied that these interviews took place within the state. Later, the SIT probe found that one of the interviews was conducted at Punjab Police facility in Kharar on the intervening night of September 3 and 4 in 2022 and the second interview was conducted in Rajasthan. The FIR in the second interview’s case has now been transferred to Rajasthan.
In the interviews, the gangster had claimed that he was not involved in the gruesome and broad daylight murder of prominent Punjabi singer, Sidhu Moose Wala, who was killed in 2022. He had also hinted at taking revenge from actor Salman Khan for allegedly hunting blackbucks in Rajasthan in 1998.
The FIR was registered following directions for the same from the high court in December 2023. The high court had taken suo motu note of these interviews observing that such interviews tend to glorify crime and criminals and could have an adverse effect on impressionable minds. Later, the interviews were deleted but the police had told the court that these interviews garnered 12 million views on YouTube.
The Punjab Police have also issued show-cause notices against four supervisory officers in this episode stating why disciplinary proceedings be not initiated against them for the episode. These include then SSP, Mohali, Vivek Sheel Soni (IPS); then SP (investigation), Mohali, Amandeep Brar (PPS) and then DSP (detective), Mohali, Gursher Singh Sandhu (PPS). Action has been promised against the then CIA unit head inspector, Shiv Kumar, under whose watch the interview took place.
Negligence, misconduct of police found: SIT to HC
A Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT) has found negligence and misconduct by the police officers into the controversy surrounding an interview of Lawrence Bishnoi conducted by a private channel.
The SIT headed by Prabodh Kumar on Tuesday told the court that a final report has been filed into the January 5 FIR registered following these interviews were telecast. The order of the proceedings before the high court reads, “a self-contained note has been annexed indicating the misconduct, negligence and dereliction of duty by the officers concerned “, as reported by the SIT.
The SIT had also told the court that the note has also been sent to the department of Home affairs and justice of the state government.
During the proceedings, the state’s counsel, ADS Sukhija, said that appropriate action has been initiated against the “delinquent officials” and had prayed for 10 days’ time to file an affidavit on action taken by the government.