I’m clean, says Khaira on ‘links’ with drug smuggler

Chandigarh, Refuting his alleged links with drug smugglers, Leader of the Opposition and senior AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira today confirmed that he made phone calls to police officials to enquire about the case against a drug smuggler, but insisted that he didn’t pursue the matter after the police shared evidence.
“Gurdev Singh was a prominent politician in my constituency (Bholath). He was chairman of the local market committee. He had sought my help after he was booked under the NDPS Act. I made calls to an IG and a DIG to enquire about the matter. But I withdrew when the officials explained the case details and evidence against him,” Khaira said.
Gurdev Singh was among the nine persons convicted for up to 20 years’ imprisonment by a Fazilka court last week. They were found carrying 200-350 gm of heroin and a Pakistani SIM card.
Khaira said he knew the family of Gurdev Singh for some time. “It is usual for a politician to be approached for help and call up the police to know the facts. I only made six or seven calls to the accused. The police claims of 65 calls are false and are not certified by any telecom agency,” he said.
2015 case
Khaira’s name cropped up during the investigation of a case registered against Gurdev Singh and eight others on March 5, 2015, at Sadar police station, Jalalabad, the constituency of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
After the conviction of the nine smugglers recently, the court admitted a plea moved by public prosecutor seeking summoning of Khaira, his personal security officer Joga Singh, PA Manish and Charanjit Kaur and Major Singh Bajwa owing to their “links” with the smugglers.
The prosecutor termed Khaira as the kingpin. He said there were 65 telephone calls between Khaira and his aides and Gurdev, who evaded arrest between March 5 and April 23.
The prosecutor also attached a statement of the investigating officer, SP Ajmer Singh, claiming that Gurdev had given funds and a vehicle to Khaira during the Assembly elections.
The defence
Khaira alleged that the police fabricated the call details. “Why didn’t they include my name in the FIR ever in the challans?” he questioned.
The AAP MLA said: “The police had questioned Joga Singh for 15 days but could not find any evidence. But now out of the blue, there is a plea terming me an accused. This is sheer political vendetta.
“The then Akali government had constituted an SIT headed by IG PS Umranangal with DIG AS Chahal and Fazilka SSP as members. It also did not find anything against me.
“Even SP Ajmer Singh, in an earlier statement in the court, did not accuse me. When I moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the allegations, the state police did not respond for months, but later said in an affidavit that there was no incriminating evidence against me.”
Bibi Jagir Kaur seeks AAP leader’s arrest
Jalandhar: Senior SAD leader Bibi Jagir Kaur on Sunday sought Sukhpal Khaira’s arrest, citing court records on the phone calls exchanged by him and convicted drug smuggler Gurdev Singh Debi in February-March 2015. Speaking to mediapersons here, she accused the Congress government of shielding him. “If non-bailable warrants have been issued against Khaira, why is the government not arresting him? A supplementary chargesheet should be filed against him for aiding Debi,” she said.