Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 3
The Punjab Government on Friday appointed ADGP Harpreet Singh Sidhu as incharge of the state’s Prisons Department. He will continue heading the Special Task Force (STF) on drugs till further orders.
Sidhu is the only officer who got an important posting during the Congress regime and also under the AAP government. He has a record of handling big cases, including registration of an NDPS case against former Akali Minister Bikram Singh Majithia.
Sidhu was appointed the STF head by former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. Later, CM Charanjit Singh Channi had also retained him.
The posting in the Prisons Department has emerged as a challenge in recent days. Jails have become a haven for criminals who extend their network and run criminal syndicates from behind the bars. The AAP government has promised to reform the system. It has already taken steps to end the “VIP facilities” for important persons, including politicians, gangsters and former cops, in jails.
It has also been alleged many times gangsters make ransom calls from the jails. The assignment to put things in order becomes more significant in the backdrop of singer Sidhu Moosewala’s killing. It is alleged that gangsters in Punjab jails could be involved in the crime directly or indirectly.
Harpreet Sidhu to head state prisons
{$excerpt:n}
