The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has called for a comprehensive investigation into reports of a jailed gangster contacting an international criminal from Pakistan. Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said authorities must determine if national security has been compromised.
According to reports, imprisoned criminal Lawrence Bishnoi was allegedly involved in a video call with notorious Pakistan-based figure Shahzad Bhatti from a jail in Gujarat. Questions have arisen around how such communication could occur from a high-security facility.
Majithia said this is not the first time concerns have surfaced about Bishnoi's activities from incarceration. He allegedly orchestrated the brazen murder of famous Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala even while detained in Tihar jail, Delhi. Deadly weapons used in the killing are thought to have entered India illegally from across the border.
Even after that incident, the gangster gave press interviews from custody that authorities initially denied. This raises doubts about the level of oversight in correctional systems housing dangerous offenders, according to Majithia. The senior leader also noted tens of thousands of unexplained calls between criminals and the outside world in recent years from Punjab jails alone.
Demanding answers, Majithia urged central authorities to launch an independent investigation into Bishnoi's latest alleged contact and string of suspicious events. A thorough probe is needed to assess risks to national security and plug security lapses that may be enabling the continued operations of transnational criminal syndicates. Citizens expect corrigendum facilities to prevent criminal coordination instead of seemingly enabling it.
