Pharmaceutical company owner goes live after NCB action; allegations, counterclaims emerge amid probe
Two day after the arrest of a pharmaceutical firm owner by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) following the seizure of psychotropic drugs, web journalist Deepak Bhandari, who is also a partner in the company and also known for running a web channel, went live on social media to publicly present his side of the story. He firmly denied the accusations, stating that neither he nor his family members are drug peddlers. He further defended the doctors named in the case, asserting that they are legitimate medical professionals and not involved in any illegal drug trade.
The NCB has registered a case under the NDPS Act against the partners of Ballista Pharmaceuticals and doctors associated with two hospitals in Amritsar for allegedly selling narcotic drugs illegally. One of the partners of the company, Amit Bhandari, is currently in NCB custody as the investigation is underway.
Bhandari specifically accused Sukhdeep Singh, Drugs Control Officer (DCO), of falsely implicating him in retaliation for a story he had done on his web channel against the officer, which included his photograph. He alleged that the entire case was a conspiracy to silence him and defame his family and friends. “This is a deliberate attempt to shut me up,” Bhandari said, adding that his company holds a valid licence for the purchase and supply of tramadol, a prescription painkiller often misused as a narcotic.
He claimed that every tablet sold by Ballista Pharmaceuticals is accounted for through proper billing and that their supplies go exclusively to hospitals and registered medical practitioners. “We submit complete monthly reports to the Zonal Licensing Authority (Drugs), Amritsar. While there may be allegations of maintaining excess stock, there has been no misuse,” he added. Deepak Bhandari also stated that his legal team is actively working on the case and that all legal matters will be handled strictly through proper judicial procedures. “I went live only to state my side of the story,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Drugs Control Officer Sukhdeep Singh has refuted Bhandari’s claims and released an official statement. He said on May 2, , he was instructed by Kulwinder Singh, Zonal Licensing Authority (Drugs), Amritsar, to join an NCB inspection at Corporate Medicos inside Corporate Hospital on Batala Road and Lifekare Medicos inside Lifekare Hospital on Fatehgarh Churian Road. The FIR against Ballista Pharmaceuticals’ partners had already been filed a day earlier on May 1.
Singh further stated that Deepak Bhandari had previously tried to attack him in connection with another case involving DSP Vavinder Mahajan. The matter was investigated by the CBI, and the preliminary report reportedly found no wrongdoing. Singh alleged that Bhandari had tried to intimidate him then as a witness and is now attempting to do so again.
The firm was recently inspected by a joint team of the NCB, DCO Bableen Kaur and DCO Sukhdeep Singh on May 3. In view of Bhandari’s objections, Sukhdeep Singh has requested his department to consider a re-inspection by an independent team, stating, “If Deepak Bhandari has any issues with the inspection report, I welcome a fresh audit by a different set of officers.”
He concluded by saying that Deepak Bhandari is trying to demoralise an honest officer because he knows there is no other legal escape from the case.
