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Thorough probe into Amritsar drug haul, says Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday assured the legislative assembly that a thorough probe would be conducted into the 197-kg heroin haul from a house of Akali functionary Anwar Masih in Amritsar 's Sultanwind village on January 31. Masih is also a former member of the Subordinate Services Board (SSB).




As leader of opposition (LoP) Harpal Singh Cheema and Congress legislator Kulbir Singh Zira urged the chief minister during the zero hour to probe the alleged role of SAD MLA Bikram Singh Majithia in the case and Majithia's link with Anwar, Amarinder assured the House that all the documents or materials shown or displayed by the legislators would be forwarded to the STF for detailed probe into drugs network. Punjab STF had arrested Anwar on Wednesday, after he failed to provide evidence of renting out his house in Sultanwind from where drugs were recovered last month.

The chief minister clarified anyone suspected to be involved in the drug racket would be thoroughly probed to ascertain their links and all those involved in the drugs racket would be pinned down. The LoP and Zira raised the demand to probe Majithia's alleged link in the case while the SAD-BJP legislators were protesting in the well of the House seeking roll back of the hike in power tariff.

Cheema alleged that the multi-crore drug haul involving the Akali leader Anwar and a councillor had links with the political bigwigs. The leader of opposition sought an assurance from the chief minister if he would investigate the role of Majithia in the drug haul.

Anwar belongs to Cong, claims Akali leader

Akali leader Bikram Majithia, later in a press statement, welcomed the detailed probe in the case but also claimed that Anwar Masih had links with Congress leaders. He also "urged the chief minister to take into account detailed evidence of the involvement of Congress leaders" in the Amritsar heroin seizure case. Majithia claimed the close connection of Anwar as well as the Christian Dalit Front with the Congress, and the support extended to the Congress by Anwar and Christian Front president Munawar Masih in the 2017 assembly elections, 2018 Gurdaspur Lok Sabha byelection, as well as, the 2019 Lok Sabha polls were a matter of record. He alleged that Congress functionaries were wrongly trying to link Masih with the SAD by showing old pictures of a social event. However, all allegations against Masih have surfaced only when he joined the Congress, he added.

The Akali leader also alleged that the alleged kingpin in the case, Simarjit Singh Sandhu, was son of Sarabjit Singh Sandhu who was appointed member of the SSB in 2006, during the previous Congress government regime. Majithia added Simarjit's association with the Congress should also be investigated.

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