Sunday Interview: The NIA must probe the link of politicians with drug smugglers'

The two terror attacks in Punjab in the last six months have raised concerns about Pakistan-based terrorists using the drug smuggling network. Shashi Kant, former ADGP (intelligence), Punjab speaks with Tanveer Thakur about the nexus between cross-border drug smugglers and politicians.

You have raised the issue of a cross-border nexus between drug smugglers and politicians in the past. When was the first time you came to know about the nexus and revealed it to the government?

In 2007, I was additional director-general of police (intelligence). We had a list of people involved in drug smuggling in Punjab, which had around 96 names. The names included those of politicians, businessmen, policemen, people from security agencies and NGOs. Almost people from all walks of life were involved in the smuggling. It was a four-page list. When the Parkash Singh Badal government came to power, there was talk about clean governance. I went to the chief minister with the “top secret” list of people directly or indirectly involved in drug smuggling. The chief minister told me, “Such things are not brought in writing, you could have verbally told me about it.” Later, I was unceremoniously removed from the intelligence department.

There is talk of drug smugglers and terrorists using the same route to infiltrate Punjab. How do you see this?

Punjab’s border with Pakistan is broadly divided in two parts: Barbed wire areas like Amritsar district and riverine areas like Gurdaspur and Pathankot, where it is difficult to put up barbed wires because of rivers. Interestingly, in the past most of the drugs and other weapons were seized from the barbed wire area where smugglers tried to push the material by cutting the wire or throwing it over. However, this now seems to be a red herring technique as infiltration by terrorists in the last two attacks was done through the riverine area in Pathankot.

You recently said that the National Investigating Agency and other Indian security agencies should probe the links of Punjab politicians with drug smugglers.

I posted it deliberately on social media to provoke the Union government to take action. If the NIA and the government are serious about tackling terrorism, they must probe the Punjab politicians’ link with drug smugglers. I have said this in the past, and I repeat, that politicians across the political spectrum are directly and indirectly involved in drug smuggling. Some of them take protection money from smugglers. If the drug smuggling problem is to be handled in Punjab then the link of politicians with smugglers has to be probed by the NIA.

During your tenure as DGP (prisons) you once said that drugs were available inside Punjab’s jails? How did you tackle the problem?

I took charge as DGP prisons in 2011, immediately after an inmate in Kapurthala Jail, who was a drug addict, died. The other inmates tried to attack jail authorities and damage the jail. When we got to the root cause of the incident, we realised that many of the inmates were drug addicts. Drugs were available inside the jail. As per moderate estimates, at least 10 kg of drugs were consumed inside Punjab jails every day. I raised the issue but no one paid any heed to it.

You once revealed the names of the politicians involved in drug smuggling, but you did not mention the name of Bikram Singh Majithia, a powerful politician related to the Badals, though he was named by wrestler-turned-druglord Jagdish Bhola in his confession. Why?

I took the name of the politicians from the list made in 2007. At that Mr Majithia was not a name in Punjab politics. I have no idea about what happened after 2007, as I was not in charge of intelligence anymore.

You once approached the high court seeking anticipatory bail fearing fabricated cases against you. Did you or your family receive any threats?

I have always raised my voice about the issue of drugs and asked difficult questions. I and my family received constant threats. I was once abducted, but the police didn’t believe my story even though the media pointed towards a possible abduction. I sought anticipatory bail because I feared the government would have fabricated cases against me.

You joined the Aam Aadmi Party in 2013 and then quit. How do you see Punjab’s political scenario in the election year?

Yes, I joined the AAP, but I realised that I am not suitable for politics irrespective of the party I join. Therefore, I decided to quit. As far as the present political situation in Punjab is concerned, the AAP has managed to capture the imagination of the common man. How far it will manage to go is yet to be seen. There is some energy in the Congress after Capt. Amarinder Singh took charge. However, my biggest worry is if there is a hung Assembly, horse-trading will occur and the party with the deepest purse would form the government. The mainstream parties that have remained in power would have deep purses.