DSP sacked over Bishnoi interview

Punjab government on Thursday dismissed deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Gursher Singh Sandhu from services on the charges of 'facilitating' a TV interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, while he was in CIA Kharar custody in March 2023.

- Ravinder Vasudeva

CHANDIGARH:

The orders to dismiss Sandhu, a PPS rank officer, were issued by the state government using Article 311 of the Constitution.

The two interviews of the gangster were aired on March 14 and March 17, 2023, while he was in Bathinda jail and had been brought to the CIA Kharar facility to probe his role in Punjabi Singer Sidhu Moose Wala's murder.

On December 14, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the government was mulling terminating the services of the DSP after the high court-appointed SIT headed by special DGP (human rights) Prabodh Kumar had submitted that the interview was conducted through a video conference when Bishnoi was in the custody of Kharar CIA on September 3-4, 2022.

The next day, the state government told the Punjab and Haryana high court about its decision to take action against the PPS rank officer.