Chandigarh: A case of security lapse of former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is lodged in Patiala jail, has come to light. In fact, Sidhu was kept in library barrack number 10 inside the jail with an inmate who is facing charges related to the smuggling of drugs and weapons. And that being said, it is serious because Sidhu has been raising the issue of drugs in his political career. After the case came to light, the accused has been shifted to another barrack. The jail staff has said to look into the lapses in the case.
Sidhu had surrendered last Friday, a day after the Supreme Court sentenced him to one year's rigorous imprisonment in the 1988 road rage case. Sidhu was locked up in the barrack after completing the formalities around 7.30 pm on Saturday. The barrack where they were kept, former CIA inspector Inderjit Singh was also imprisoned. In fact, Inderjit Singh was dismissed from service because he is accused of colluding in drug trafficking.
Illegal arms and narcotics, including AN-47, were recovered from Inderjit Singh's residence in 2017. There are allegations of involvement of many high-profile officers in this whole case. A source in the jail department said that there have been murders in Punjab jails in the past and Sidhu is on the hit list of such people due to his anti-drug stance. On the issue of lapses in Sidhu's security, a senior IPS officer said that the jail administration should have done a background check of the prisoners who shared the barrack with Sidhu.
And given their stand against drug traffickers, the people around them also need to be monitored. The IPS officer said that any prisoner from Punjab, who is facing charges of drugs, can be linked to the "big fish" in the drug trade. This could pose a serious threat to Sidhu as well as Shia leader Bikram Singh Majithia.
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