Congmen uneasy over ‘tainted’ DSP’s return

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 9

There is a sense of discomfiture among a section of Congress leaders here following the transfer of DSP Gurjeet Singh Romana back in the district.

He was shifted to the 6th IRB Ladda Kothi, Sangrur, almost a year ago following his indictment in a probe for releasing an accused in a drug case in April last year.

During his last stint here, he had earned Congressmen’s wrath for allegedly registering false cases against them during the previous SAD-BJP regime.

Romana’s name figured in the list of 130 DSPs who were recently transferred by the state government. His name appeared as ‘Bathinda DSP-1’ in the transfer list.

Though the government’s move hasn’t gone down well with party leaders, they are not openly speaking up on the issue.

Incidentally, PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar, who was here on Sunday, could not give a convincing reply over DSP Romana’s return to Bathinda at a time when the government has waged a war against drugs.

When asked about the resentment among leaders, he said the government was committed to wipe out drugs and would make no compromise over it.

The case that led to DSP Romana’s transfer was registered at the Nehianwala police station on April 10 against Gobind Gupta of Goniana Mandi.

He was arrested with an illegal stock of more than 1,500 habit-forming tablets.

Gupta was, however, released within 10 days after an inquiry by Romana. When the matter came to the notice of the then Bathinda IG, MS Chhina, he marked an inquiry to Faridkot SSP Nanak Singh.

As per the probe report, the case was rightly registered against Gupta as the tablets were seized from his house and not his shop.

It stated that the inquiry was not properly conducted by the DSP as the police team that conducted the raid was not included in the probe and even investigating officer Sukhwinder Kaur’s statement was not recorded.

Nanak Singh stated that the DSP recommended the cancellation of the case on a report given by drug inspector Sheshan Kumar.

On questioning, the drug inspector, however, said Gupta, despite having a licence, could keep the medicines at his shop and not at his house and if the drugs were recovered from his house, a case should be registered against him.

The SSP maintained that Romana did not even check the licence during the probe, as in his first report the latter had stated that the licence was issued in the name of Gobind Gupta, which wasn’t true.