Amritsar, August 11, 2020 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today demanded Amritsar Rural SSP Dhruv Dahiya should be booked and investigated by the CBI for his role in the death of more than 100 persons who died by imbibing poisonous liquor under his watch as SSP, Tarn Taran.
Addressing a press conference here, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia and former chief parliamentary secretary Virsa Singh Valtoha said the police officer refused to take action against the liquor mafia in Tarn Taran even when evidence about the same was presented to him.
“He should have been suspended or even dismissed from service but instead he has been rewarded with yet another plum posting as SSP, Amritsar. Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta should explain his fondness for Dhruv Dahiya and also tell what policing Dahiya has done that he was posted as an SSP for a third time”, the leaders said.
Demanding that a CBI inquiry alone could unravel the SSP’s links with the Congress liquor mafia, Mr Bikram Majithia said if “this is done not only will Dahiya’s links go up to Chandigarh but would also lead up to 10 Janpath”.
The SAD leader said Dahiya was the same officer who had planned and got a “day light robbery” executed at the residence of Father Antony in 2019 and was shunted out as Khanna SSP by the Election Commission.
He said besides the charge of misappropriation of Rs seven crore leveled against the Khanna police during the raid, the Khanna police was also accused of illegal detention of people during the raid and indicted in a departmental inquiry.
“It was also proved conclusively in court that Dahiya had lied that the money had been seized during a search operation at a ‘naka’. As much as Rs 1.50 crore out of the Rs 16.66 crore seized unlawfully under Dahiya’s watch is still unaccounted for but yet he was rewarded by being posted as SSP Tarn Taran instead of being proceeded against”.
Mr Bikram Majithia said even during his stint at Khanna, Dahiya was accused of giving extra constitutional power to police cats and touts one of whom – Babbu Baranbor – had supervised the “seizure” of cash from the residence of Father Antony.
He said even at Tarn Taran residents had complained that despite submission of complaints to him along with the address of an illegal illicit liquor manufacturer as well as the vehicles used to supply spurious liquor in the area Dahiya refused to take any action in the matter.
“This makes Dahiya complicit in the entire racket and strict action needs to be taken against him”, the Akali leader added. Senior leader Virsa Singh Valtoha said the Tarn Taran police acted against the illicit liquor factory named by citizens only after the hooch tragedy took place and recovered 31,500 liters of ‘lahan’ and 350 bottles of illicit liquor.
Mr Majithia meanwhile also asked the Congress government not to divert attention against the distilleries of its associates who had released spirit illegally to the liquor mafia which led to the hooch tragedy.
He said the government was proceeding against bootleggers manufacturing country made liquor deliberately to give time to the distillery managements to set their houses in order. He said the huge amount of ‘lahan’ recovered during the last more than one week also indicated that the government had not cared to take action against their manufacturers earlier.
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