Kamal Sharma’s close aide Jimmy Sandhu arrested in Ferozepur
Monday, 24/08/2015
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=138249&boxid=57775&uid=&dat=2015-08-24
Ferozepur : Finally, the BJP’s Punjab president Kamal Sharma’s former personal assistant (PA) and also the party’s ex-president of district youth wing, Jaspal Singh aka Jimmy Sandhu, has been arrested by the district police.
Sandhu was booked for his alleged involvement in a bribery case and helping the drugs and weapons smugglers and to get reprieve from police. The case was registered on August 6 and since then police were claiming to be in process to nab him. According to information, succumbing to police pressure, Sandhu had himself appeared before the SHO city police station on Saturday night. Once he surrendered, the police immediately took him in custody and produced before the duty magistrate, who further sent him in police remand for one day for getting the investigation conducted. “During the interrogation, he admitted to have received Rs 5 lakh as bribe in the infamous Khattar Gun House case. Of the amount, he had told that Rs 1 lakh cash was lying at his home, which we recovered visiting the place,” shared Superintendent of Police (Detective) Amarjit Singh. According to the details of the case, the FIR was lodged against Jimmy Sandhu, BJP’s Mallanwala circle president Gurcharan Singh and one Lakhwinder Singh, who was the agent, as alleged.
Based on a secret input that Sandhu accepted Rs 10 lakh from local agent Lakhwinder Singh to get one drug smuggling accused Amritpal Singh and his wife, Jagdeep Kaur, off the hook, Sandhu was booked. The police had reportedly seized 100 grams heroin, two weapons and fake currency from the couple. Out of Rs 10 lakh, Rs 4 lakh was allegedly passed on to Ferozepur DSP Balwinder Singh Sekhon. Having the detailed mention of the things, the FIR also lodged against BJP’s Mallwanwala circle president Gurcharan Singh, as he was accused of taking Rs 3 lakh from a relative of Jagdeep Kaur to further pay the district BJP chief Jugraj Katora to see that she got bail.
Further, there was also a mention of Jimmy Sandhu for taking a sum of Rs 15 lakh to save local DC office clerk Manoj Khattar in a case of forging arms licences. Manoj was booked on March 30, and his brother, Sonu, had allegedly paid the money to see that the case was cancelled. The case against Gurcharan Singh, Jimmy Sandhu, and agent Lakhwinder Singh was registered under Section 420 (cheating and forgery) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 8 (taking gratification to influence public servant) and 9 (taking gratification for exercise of influence on public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
But the district police had remained soft towards DSP Balwinder Singh Sekhon and Jugraj Singh Katora, stating that there was no direct evidence to corroborate their involvement in the crime. However, the two were asked to join the investigation but till date they didn’t appear before the police.
Interestingly, before Jimmy surrendered on Saturday night the police could arrest only Lakhwinder. Neither Gurcharan Singh could come under Police net nor the two (DSP Sekhon and Katora) appeared before the police, till date. Asked, the Superintendent of Police (Detective) Amarjit Singh said, “We are in process to arrest Gurcharan. Also, efforts are being made to trace the absconding DSP and Katora.” The SP said, “For us he is absconding. Rest about his suspension, there is no official communication in the department.”
Kamal on sticky wicket, left with no option bu to play in defence
The surfacing of the case has brought turmoil in the state BJP as Sandhu and Katora were his hand-picked men. After the matter got highlighted, not only the opponents, his own partymen including the former MLA from Ferozepur Sukhpal Singh Nannu started demanding his resignation from the top post if the party’s state unit. Claiming himself guiltless in the case, Sharma has not resigned despite demand by the Congress leaders on moral grounds.
In his defence, Sharma repeatedly claims to be on the right side by mentioning that he had taken lead by initiating action against the two by getting the resignations of Jimmy Sandhu and Jugraj Singh Katora, immediate after he learnt about the allegations upon the two. Besides, he also denies accepting Jimmy as his PA but masses are not yet ready to accept his statement, saying that most of the time he used to remain with Sharma and he was the person who used to facilitate people meeting or speaking to Sharma.
The incident has weakened the position of Kamal as well as the party not only in Ferozepur but at the state level as wherever he goes media is after him for his selection of people, opines a senior BJP leader, who also mentions that it equipped his detractors will full of ammunition to fire at him and the party chief is left with no option than to play in defence only.
