A senior police officer of Punjab has been sacked for facilitating the recording of an interview with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi by a private television channel while he was in the custody of the CIA (Crime Investigation Agency) in Kharar.
The action came after a probe by a Special Investigation Team. The state police chief said Gursher Singh Sandhu has "severely dented the image of the department "with his misconduct, negligence and dereliction of duty.
While reviewing the matter, the state government, too, came to the same conclusion and issued an order for his dismissal.
Bishnoi's interviews were conducted while he was in police custody. One of these was at the CIA staff premises Kharar, and was aired by a private news channel in March 2023.
The dismissal orders, which cited Article 311 of the Constitution, made special mention of his uncooperative attitude.
"It is not reasonably practicable to hold an inquiry into the chargesheet issued to Gursher Singh Sandhu, PPS (under suspension), in view of the non-cooperative attitude of the officer," the order read.
It cited how the officer refused to accept a copy of the chargesheet against him and how it had to be affixed to his doorstep".
Lawrence Bishnoi, arrested in 2014, has made the rounds of various jails of the country including Delhi's Tihar jail. Currently he is in Sabarmati's Central Jail.
