Haryana: Head constable dismissed over indiscipline, violation of NDPS Act
Situation escalated further when Sunil posted a video on his Facebook page accusing a DSP of threatening to implicate him in a fabricated narcotics case
Superintendent of Police Upasana dismissed head constable Sunil Sandhu, a member of the district’s “Nasa Mukti Jagrukta” (anti-drug awareness) police, allegedly for indiscipline, grave misconduct by using social media instead of department platform along with serious violations of the NDPS Act during a raid.
As per the SP, the head constable violated rules 14.8 and 14.44 of the Punjab Police Rules. He exhibited gross misconduct, disobedience, and indiscipline. His conduct falls under Rule 16.2(1) of the Punjab Police Rules.
The action follows a raid conducted on February 16, during which team members led by Sandhu allegedly carried out a search but failed to follow the mandatory NDPS guidelines. As per the Act, searches must be conducted in the presence of a gazetted officer, and proper documentation, including a Daily Diary Report (DDR), must be registered on the spot. It was a violation of Sections 50 and 42 of the NDPS Act.
“Due to non-compliance with procedure, we failed to apprehend the main supplier,” said SP Upasana while interacting with media persons.
An inquiry into the matter was assigned to DSP Gurvinder Singh. The situation escalated further when Sunil posted a video on his Facebook page accusing a DSP of threatening to implicate him in a fabricated narcotics case. In the video, Sandhu claimed he was being harassed despite his active role in anti-drug campaigns and said he was ready to undergo any test, including a narco test, to prove his innocence.
The SP said the dismissal was ordered after treating the violation of departmental rules as serious misconduct.
“I have assigned the inquiry of his allegation against a DSP to another DSP, but the inquiry could not be completed as Sunil used a social media platform for mobilizing support in his favour, creating an atmosphere of fear among police forces through his social media posts. I have dismissed him for his gross misconduct and indiscipline as well as for violation of NDPS Act during the raid,” said the SP.
She highlighted there is a proper channel to raise grievances and termed the social media post a violation of departmental rules and regulations. “There is a mechanism in the department to raise issues, but instead he chose social media to mobilize support. This is considered indiscipline.” the SP said.
She also said that publicly accusing senior officers on social media without evidence is considered a breach of the code of conduct. “He used his uniform for personal gain and created an atmosphere of fear. Indiscipline cannot be tolerated,” she added.
It is learnt, before Sandhu’s dismissal, all nine members of the anti-drug awareness team were sent to the police lines on Thursday by SP for allegedly violating the NDPS provisions.
