*SAD says there is grave threat to Bikram S Majithia’s life in jail*

Chandigarh, June 7 – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said there was a grave threat to the life of former minister Bikram Singh Majithia and that there was every likelihood of him being implicated in another false case at the behest of AGDP Harpreet Sidhu who had been entrusted with the additional charge of ADGP, Prisons to settle political and personal scores.

Addressing a press conference here to highlight the letter written by  Bikram Majithia’s wife and Majitha legislator Ganieve Kaur Majithia to the State DGP along with a copy to chief minister Bhagwant Mann, senior SAD leaders Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema demanded the immediate removal of  Sidhu from the additional charge of ADGP, Prisons besides taking other necessary action in the case.

The leaders said there were grave apprehensions in the minds of the family of  Majithia as well as that of the SAD that  Harpreet Sidhu had been posted as ADGP Prisons with the motive of planting something on the former minister. They said even though Sidhu was a most incompetent police officer he was used by successive governments to settle scores with  Majithia and that he had been posted as ADGP, Prisons with the same goal by the AAP government.

The SAD leaders said there was a severe animosity between the families of  Majithia and  Harpreet Sidhu. They said  Sidhu was closely related to  Majithia as the police officer’s mother and the paternal aunt of  Majithia were real sisters. “There has been bad blood between the families for generations with  Sidhu’s family blaming  Majithia’s family for the death of their aunt. The animosity can be seen from the fact that  Majithia’s grandfather had been shot by the security guard of  Sidhu’s father while he was visiting the latter. This strained relationship and animosity was also withheld by  Harpreet Sidhu from the high court before he embarked upon conducting an inquiry on the alleged role of  Majithia in a drug case”.

Grewal and Dr Cheema said when the high court did not proceed with the report of  Sidhu, the latter maliciously handed over the report which was supposed to lie in a sealed envelope to  Navjot Singh Sidhu, a politician who was inimical to  Majithia.

The SAD leaders said towards the end of the term of the previous Congress government,  Sidhu handed over his home cooked report to the DGP to register a false case under various sections of the NDPS Act against  Majithia. They said even after this,  Sidhu kept interfering in the case and even wrote a letter to the AAP government on March 8 on which basis the SIT was reconstituted. “Due to this  Sidhu’s dictat is treated as a command by the SIT which reports directly to him”.

The leaders said this was not all. They said through his contacts in Aitsar, the ADGP was able to induce  Majithia’s political opponent Amarpal Bonny Ajnala, who was a defense witness in the drug cases, to file a false and baseless petition in the high court to stall the regular bail application of  Majithia.

Maheshinder Grewal and Dr Daljit Cheema said it was also a matter of fact that AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal was inimical towards  Majithia because he was forced to apologize to the latter for leveling false allegations against him of being involved in drug trade. They said registering a case against  Majithia was also part of the poll plank of AAP in 2017.

The SAD leaders also pointed out that the ADGP had been one of the most failed heads of STF (Drugs) with the drug menace becoming even more rampant during his stewardship. They said it was also a fact that despite having complete powers the officer could not find any evidence against  Majithia in any activity relating to drugs.

The Akali leaders said  Majithia was subjected to inhuman conditions in jail with the Jails minister during his visit to the Patiala central jail directing the former minister be shifted to a Chakki which is unsafe and unfit for human habitation. They said the cell in which  Majithia was currently lodged was 8×8 feet. “The sole purpose of shifting Majithia into the said cell is to humiliate him and violate his human rights”, the leaders added.