New Delhi [India]: Following the detention of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in connection with a 2015 drugs-related case, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sushil Gupta alleged that it is well-known that Congress MLA indulged in the drugs business and now proper investigation will be conducted.
In an early morning operation on Thursday, a team of Punjab Police reached Khaira’s residence and conducted a raid in connection with an old case registered in 2015 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Jalalabad, Fazilka.
"The law will take its own course. It is well-known that Sukhpal Khaira ji indulged in the drug business. He kept getting protection from earlier governments. Now, a proper investigation will be conducted," Sushil Gupta.
The arrest of Sukhpal Khaira is expected to further dent the relations of AAP and the Congress which have come together to form the INDIA alliance at the centre. The state unit of the Congress has opposed any tie-up or seat-sharing arrangement with the AAP in Punjab.
Reacting to the detention of Khaira, Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said that the party was firmly behind its leader.
"CM Bhagwant Mann, Governments don't last forever, I strongly criticize your dictatorial goon state. I assure all the cadres of Punjab Congress that we stand like a rock with the entire leadership of the party and every worker" Bajwa said in a video released on X.
Sukhpal Singh Khaira was detained by Punjab police in connection with the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Khaira was hosting a Facebook Live where he can be seen arguing with police personnel as they raided his house this morning. A police official can be seen in the video telling Khaira that a SIT has been formed in an old drug smuggling case.
Earlier in 2015, there are two cases originated with the unearthing of a cross-border drug smuggling network in Fazilka, Punjab, leading to the seizure of heroin, gold biscuits, weapons, cartridges, and Pakistani SIM cards and the second of a fake passport racket being run in Delhi.
As the trial went on, nine smugglers, including Gurdev Singh, Manjit Singh, Harbans Singh, and Subhash Chander, were sentenced in October 2017 in connection with the Fazilka case. As per the chargesheet, Khaira was closely associated with Gurdev Singh, the leader of the Fazilka drug smuggling racket, and is accused of having sheltered him.
The primary accusations against Khaira include supporting an international gang of smugglers, having sheltered him and receiving financial benefits from drug traffickers, and enjoying the proceeds of crime.
On February 16, 2023, a Supreme Court bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath quashed the summoning order against Khaira in the drugs case.
—ANI