Punjab’s former DGP (prisons) Shashi Kant has alleged that the politicians from major political parties, including Shriomani Akali Dal and Congress, in the state are hand in glove with the drug mafia.
In a statement, Shashi Kant told the Punjab and Haryana high court that he had submitted a list of the names of the ministers to the then state government around six years ago.
The former DGP of jails in Punjab also alleged that politicians use the profits generated by the drug trade for election purposes. The state police help these ministers in running the business, added Mr Shashi Kant.
He had recently written a letter to the court on the drug menace in Punjab. His letter was considered as a PIL and he submitted a detailed report on the menace to the court. The high court has sought a reply from the Punjab government over this allegation.
Rubbishing the allegations, the Punjab government accused Shashi Kant of having political ambitions. “Why didn’t he take action then when he was serving as the jail DGP of Punjab? What is the point of levelling allegations now?” chief minister Prakash Singh Badal has replied to the questions by the media.
“It seems he is moving towards contesting elections. He wants to act as a hero. When he was the DGP, he never informed. Till date no politician’s name has come up, as per my information. We dismissed three ASIs two or three days back. They were found supporting drug peddlers,” Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal added.