Punjab government dismisses DSP for facilitating Lawrence Bishnoi's in-custody interview
What's the story
The Punjab government has terminated the services of Deputy Superintendent of Police Gursher Singh Sandhu for "denting the image of the police department."
The decision comes after he facilitated a video interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in custody at the Central Investigation Agency (CIA), Kharar, in March 2023.
The Department of Home Affairs issued the dismissal orders after the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) approved them.
Order
'His severely dented the image of the Punjab Police'
The dismissal order read, "And whereas after careful consideration of the facts and circumstances, the State Government is satisfied that Gursher Singh Sandhu, PPS (under suspension) has severely dented the image of the Punjab Police as a result of his misconduct, negligence and dereliction of duty during the occurrence of the interview of Lawrence Bishnoi."
"His failure to perform his duty properly is a gross violation of the discipline and conduct rules of the Punjab Police."
Court conclusion
High court concludes Sandhu's involvement in controversial interview
The Punjab and Haryana High Court found that Sandhu enabled a TV channel to record an interview of Bishnoi while he was in CIA custody.
Although the interview took place months ago, the police inquiry into where and how it was conducted was somewhat delayed. Eventually, the police responded to the high court's intervention, which ordered stern penalties against personnel over the interview.
Bishnoi is the prime conspirator in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case and has over 80 other charges.
Twitter Post
Read full order here
Punjab Government has dismissed Deputy Superintendent of Police Gursher Singh Sandhu for "denting the image of the police department" by facilitating a video interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi during his custody at the Central Investigation Agency (CIA), Kharar.
— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2025
The… pic.twitter.com/2FZ81j4Kr7
Pending actions
Other police officials suspended, action against seniors awaited
Six other Punjab Police officials, including another DSP, have been suspended pending further action in this case. They have been issued show-cause notices.
Action is still awaited against senior police officials above the rank of DSP who may have been involved or failed to prevent the interview.
The interview sparked controversy as it came on singer Moosewala's first bhog ceremony and its contents have been banned from publishing by the high court.