‘Used WiFi, phones’: Lawrence Bishnoi’s TV interview filmed inside CIA office with AGTF’s unchecked access, reveals SIT note; 7 cops suspended, DSP dismissed

CHANDIGARH: The anti-gangster task force (AGTF) of Punjab Police had “unbridled and undocumented access, including close proximity”, to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi when he was in Kharar crime investigation agency (CIA) office at the time of his TV interview which was recorded on the night intervening Sept 3 and 4, 2022, as per a self-contained note dated Oct 9, 2024, written by the then special director general of police (DGP) Prabodh Kumar and DIG Nilambari Vijay Jagdale, who were part of the special investigation team (SIT) that probed the TV interview of the jailed gangster.While Kumar, who retired on Jan 31 and continues to head the SIT on court’s directions, heads the SIT, Jagdale is a member. The note also reveals that then Kharar CIA in-charge, inspector Shiv Kumar, and sub-inspector Reena, who was the inquiry officer (IO) in the case in connection with which Bishnoi was in remand at Kharar CIA at that time, had left for Jalandhar on Sept 3, 2022, evening without obtaining leave/station leave from the competent authority.

“Bishnoi was physically present in the office room of Insp. Shiv Kumar, incharge, CIA, Kharar, while recording the interview,” reads the note, which largely formed the basis of action against police officials where seven officials were suspended, including then Mohali deputy superintendent of police (investigation) Gursher Singh, who was subsequently dismissed from service, and inspector Shiv Kumar, who was serving on an extension which was terminated.

The others who were suspended were then DSP (economic offences wing) Sammar Vaneet, SI Reena, sub-inspectors (local rank) Jagatpal Jangu and Shaganjit Singh (both with AGTF), the then duty officer and assistant sub-inspector Mukhtiar Singh, and the then night munshi, head constable (local rank) Om Parkash.The note reads: “Lawrence Bishnoi was using a mobile phone (Samsung Galaxy A21S), which was tethered to the Wi-Fi broadband internet connection installed within the premises of CIA, Kharar.”

Even SSP failed

The note said the then Mohali senior superintendent of police (SSP) “failed” to devote his personal attention to security arrangements regarding the custody of Bishnoi. “On two occasions during the relevant period (15.06.2022 and 12.07.2022), letters were issued by IGP, Ropar range, to SSP, SAS Nagar (Mohali), by name, to personally ensure proper implementation of the security arrangements at CIA, Kharar. However, Vivek Sheel Soni, IPS, SSP, SAS Nagar, paid no heed to these directions of his immediate supervisory officer also, and thus failed to devote his personal attention to the security arrangements regarding the custody of Lawrence Bishnoi at CIA, Kharar, while orders were being issued and implemented by his office on his behalf in a lacklustre manner,” reads the note.The note also points out that Soni was unaware of the IO and CIA incharge unauthorisedly leaving the station of their posting, without entrusting the custody of Bishnoi on record to some other IO.The note adds that “duties assigned through various such orders issued by the office of SSP, SAS Nagar, were not effectively enforced and monitored”. “The roles and responsibilities assigned through some orders were ambiguous and not conveyed effectively to the officers/officials on duty,” it read.The note recommended appropriate departmental action against the officials named in the note regarding their misconduct, negligence, and dereliction of duties. The Lawrence Bishnoi TV interview which was recorded in September 2022 was telecast on March 14, 2023.

‘AGTF failed to adhere to protocols’

The note referred to a written reply by AGTF additional director general of police (ADGP) Promod Ban where he stated that a component of AGTF was deployed to aid the local police.

“He further informed that no officials/officers were deployed by AGTF to manage the custody of Lawrence Bishnoi. However... a few personnel in rotation were deployed in close proximity to Lawrence Bishnoi with the view to harvest actionable intelligence from him. It has further been clarified by ADGP, AGTF, that the officials deployed in close proximity of Lawrence Bishnoi, along with other officials deployed for the security and investigation, escorted Lawrence Bishnoi to the office of in-charge, CIA, whenever any officers/ officials summoned the accused for questioning,” the note reads.The note adds: “Since Lawrence Bishnoi spent more than 90 minutes in the office room of In-charge, CIA, during the night intervening 03-04.2022, SI(LR) Jagatpal Jangu and SI(LR) Shaganjit Singh 531/W, being present that night on close proximity duty with Lawrence Bishnoi, are responsible for facilitating the access of the said room to Lawrence Bishnoi.”The note added it was established that the AGTF wing failed to adhere to established protocols, procedures and rules, while deploying a large component of its wing, including heavily armed officials in plain clothes, at secure premises without any documentation, over and above the official deployments made through the written orders for security arrangements issued by the office of SSP, SAS Nagar. “In the process, AGTF was having an unbridled and undocumented access, including close proximity, to the accused Lawrence Bishnoi. The supervision over subordinate officers of AGTF deployed at CIA, Kharar, during the custody period of Lawrence Bishnoi, on the part of senior officers of AGTF, has been found to be lax, with subordinate officials deciding duty hours on their own and without any clear chain of command.

Further, AGTF did not maintain any duty rosters or movement registers of its staff, while the AGTF personnel deployed at CIA, Kharar also did not make any entries in the daily diary regarding their arrivals/departures, which is the most basic requirement at any police station, much more at a highly secured premises.” It recommended: “Appropriate action may also be taken to address the systemic failures and shortcomings in the functioning of AGTF, as thrown up during the investigation and highlighted in this Note.”

SIT chief, dig’s self-contained note puts blame on all

ASI FACILITATED EXIT, HEAD CONSTABLE HELPED WITH WI-FI➤ The note says ASI Mukhtiar Singh facilitated the “unauthorised exit” of Bishnoi from the CIA lockup. It said being the duty officer, the ASI was also required to control access to the office of Kharar CIA in-charge, especially in late-night hours➤ It said the fact that the ASI personally facilitated Bishnoi’s exit, made it inevitable that other movements and activities of the accused were in his knowledge, including Bishnoi getting unauthorised access to the office of CIA in-charge, and using a mobile phone from inside that room for over 90 minutes for the purpose of recording the said interview➤ The note said head constable Om Parkash “facilitated unauthorised access” to the office room of in-charge, CIA, to Bishnoi and “facilitated unauthorised sharing of the password of Wi-Fi broadband internet connection installed at CIA, Kharar”GAZETTED OFFICER STAYED FOR LESS THAN HOURThe self-contained note has pointed out a shortcoming on behalf of the gazetted officer.

“The GO deployed as camp commander during the night intervening Sept 3 and 4, 2022, (8pm-8am), when accused Lawrence Bishnoi had given the TV interview at CIA, Kharar, remained for less than an hour only. All these facts cumulatively establish that security arrangements orders, issued by the office of [SSP] Vivek Sheel Soni, were neither enforced effectively, nor was there any effective mechanism to ensure the enforcement of these orders,” reads the note.

DSP Sammar Vaneet, the GO, was supposed to be at CIA office for 12 hours, between 8pm on Sept 3, 2022, to 8am the next day as camp commander, but his phone’s call detail records (CDR)/internet protocol detail records (IPDR) revealed that his location in the area of CIA, Kharar, was from 9.45pm to 10.25pm. He returned home at Phase 3B2, Mohali, by 11.15pm. “DSP Sammar Vaneet has thus displayed gross misconduct,” reads the note.SP FOUND WANTING IN EXERCISING RESPONSIBILITIESThe note said that the then Mohali SP (detective), Amandeep Singh Brar, failed in exercising effective supervisory control over the activities of DSP Sandhu and other staff of CIA, Kharar. “As per his own admission, it was only on 1-2 occasions that he personally checked the security arrangements at CIA, Kharar, during the night hours, during the entire custody period of Lawrence Bishnoi at that premises.

Thus, he was totally ignorant of the ground position about camp commanders not maintaining their presence at CIA, Kharar, during the night hours.

This resulted in a total failure on his part in reporting the matter to his SSP so that corrective measures could have been taken. He was an SP-rank officer senior to all officials deployed from various wings/units and all camp commanders were DSP-rank officers. As SP (D), he was the senior supervisory officer of CIA premises.

Thus, he was in a position to clear any difficulty/issue in discharge of duties, but he remained totally passive and found wanting in exercising his official responsibilities,” reads the note on Brar.KHANNA CIA IN-CHARGE, IO WENT TO JALANDHAR➤ The note has also detailed how inspector Shiv Kumar and subinspector (SI) Reena, who was the inquiry officer (IO), dodged duty. “As per the analysis of CDRs and IPDRS, SI Reena, along with in-charge CIA Inspector Shiv Kumar, had left for Jalandhar in the evening of Sept 3, 2022, without obtaining leave or station leave from competent authority, and returned to Kharar only on Sept 4, 2022, at 10.50am, thus abstaining from the station of her official duty unauthorizedly,” the note said➤ The note said by doing this inspector Shiv Kumar unauthorizedly abstained from the station of his official duty, despite knowing that a known gangster was undergoing police remand in the lockup of CIA, Kharar, under elaborate security arrangements➤ It pointed out that even though the inspector was absent, he got a daily diary entry fabricated at 11pm on Sept 3, 2022, through head constable (local rank) Om Parkash to show his presence at the station for recording the physical checking of CIA, Kharar, by DSP SandhuDISMISSED ‘DSP GURSHER SANDHU ACTIVELY FACILITATED INTERVIEW THROUGH PERSONAL PRESENCE’The note says since-dismissed DSP Gursher Sandhu, who was the immediate supervisory gazetted officer of CIA, Kharar, “actively facilitated the recording of Bishnoi TV interview”.

Describing at length his presence at CIA Kharar and his movement on the fateful night, while citing CDR/IPDR of his mobile phone, the note said it was established that Sandhu “through his personal presence at CIA, Kharar... actively facilitated the recording of the interview in question”.The note says though DSP Sandhu was assigned nightchecking duties for the entire district from 10pm on Sept 3, 2022, to 2am on Sept 4, 2022, his presence could only be found in the daily diary of CIA, Kharar, and no other police station in the district.

“Moreover, CDR/IPDR analysis of his mobile phone does not indicate his movement anywhere in the areas of other police stations of district SAS Nagar during the said period, which should have been there, if he was actually performing the duties of night checking officer,” read the report.

Acting on a plea by Sandhu, where he said he was being made a scapegoat and sought directions for calling the record of the FIR registered against him and others for facilitating Bishnoi’s TV interview, the Punjab and Haryana high court recently directed Punjab Police to give details of all security arrangements made for Bishnoi during his custody at CIA, Kharar. The counsel representing Sandhu submitted in the court that Bishnoi was held under a three-tier security of AGTF, SOG and CIA, in which the petitioner was the local DSP and had no access to the detenue. The self-contained note pointing to misconduct, negligence and dereliction of duty was submitted by special DGP Kumar in Punjab and Haryana high court in Oct last year and is part of the ongoing proceedings in the petition moved by DSP Sandhu.