North News
Chandigarh, August 8
Eight months after the Punjab Police registered FIRs regarding gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s interviews aired by a private news channel in March 2023, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) reported to the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the first interview took place on the night of September 3-4, 2022, at the CIA premises in Kharar, and the second interview occurred in Rajasthan. According to the news outlet The Indian Express, during a suo-motu hearing, the division bench, consisting of Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Lapita Banerji, stressed that the investigation should not be limited to lower-level officials and that higher-ranking officers should also be held accountable. The bench urged for a thorough and unbiased investigation to identify and penalize those responsible.
The SIT’s status report, led by Prabodh Kumar, Special Director General of Police, detailed the progress made in identifying Bishnoi’s locations during the interviews, which contradicted an earlier state committee’s findings. According to the news outlet, the High Court reiterated the importance of an impartial investigation, noting the potential impact of the interviews, which garnered nearly 12 million views on YouTube. The court directed the Chief Secretary of Punjab to provide full support to the SIT and instructed the Director General of Police to submit an affidavit detailing crime statistics related to the interview’s broadcast. Additionally, the High Court recorded an affidavit from the Deputy Inspector General of Prisons, outlining steps taken to enhance jail security, including the installation of jammers, CCTV cameras, and X-ray body scanners.
