Punjab Police ASI plants heroin on priest before raid; caught on CCTV

Chandigarh: A Punjab Police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) has been suspended after a purported hidden-camera video from the residence of a Hindu religious leader allegedly showed him placing a packet of heroin beneath a bed mattress shortly before a police raid.

The incident has raised serious questions over the conduct of the Khanna Police in Punjab's Ludhiana district.

Khanna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Darpan Ahluwalia has suspended ASI Sukhdev Singh, who was posted with the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) staff and ordered his removal from the investigation.

Meanwhile, Mahant Kashmir Giri, who was arrested on charges of drug trafficking following the police raid, has also been cleared of the case.

The controversy stems from a police raid conducted at the residence of Mahant Kashmir Giri in Khanna town.

According to the police, the operation was initiated after Giri's driver, Gurjant Singh alias Janta, was arrested for allegedly possessing 7.5 grams of heroin.

Police officials subsequently claimed that information obtained during the driver's interrogation had led them to Mahant Kashmir Giri. Acting on the information, a police team reached the mahant's residence to carry out a search operation.

During the search, the police claimed to have recovered approximately 30 grams of heroin from beneath a bed mattress, following which Mahant Kashmir Giri was arrested in connection with an alleged drug trafficking case.

However, footage recorded by a hidden camera installed at the residence by the family has now brought the circumstances surrounding the alleged recovery under scrutiny and raised serious questions about the police operation.

The video, which has gone viral on social media, purportedly shows ASI Sukhdev Singh entering a room in plain clothes before the arrival of the police team.

In the footage, he is allegedly seen placing a packet underneath the bed mattress.

A short while later, another cop entered the room, accompanied by Mahant Kashmir Giri. During the search that followed, the police claim to have recovered heroin from precisely the same spot where the suspended ASI was allegedly seen placing the packet.

Following this, a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by an officer of Superintendent of Police rank, has been constituted to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

The SIT has been tasked with examining the authenticity of the viral video, establishing the alleged role of the suspended ASI and investigating the circumstances under which the heroin was reportedly recovered from the residence.

The incident has triggered a political controversy in Punjab.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised the Bhagwant Mann-led government, questioning the functioning of the Punjab Police following the circulation of the video.

Reacting to the incident in a post on X, Badal launched a sharp attack on the state government and said, "Welcome to the AAP model of 'Law & Order'! A Khanna Police ASI was caught on CCTV secretly placing a packet of drugs beneath a mattress inside someone's home!"

"The AAP government in Punjab had promised home delivery of services, but who knew that this would also include the Punjab Police delivering drugs to people's homes to implicate innocent citizens? Is this how the Punjab Police is delivering 'Badlav' under your supervision, Guru Dokhi Bhagwant Mann?" he posted.

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