Death in custody

Weeks after 532 kg of heroin and 52 kg of suspected mixed narcotics smuggled from Pakistan were seized from a truck at the Attari border, the main accused, Gurpinder Singh, died under mysterious circumstances in judicial custody. The rock salt importer’s death is a big blow to the ongoing investigation into the 

Rs 2,700-crore haul. He was probably just a cog in the drug racket wheel, but his interrogation could have helped to identify the big players operating behind the scenes. The Amritsar prison and hospital authorities have come a cropper, even though this high-profile case with cross-border and inter-state linkages has been constantly in the spotlight since June-end. The investigators have not yet ruled out the narco terror angle, taking into account Pakistan’s strategy of pushing drugs into Punjab and J&K to raise money for funding terror activities.

The development is certainly an embarrassment for Punjab, which had last year sought ‘special category’ status under the National Health Protection Scheme in view of being the ‘biggest victim of Pakistan-sponsored narcotics terrorism’. The state’s seriousness in handling this vital case — and the drug menace in general — has come under a cloud. Under the circumstances, Punjab cannot expect much assistance from the Central government and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime unless it sets its own house in order.

Appallingly, this is the second major incident in a month that has exposed the laxity of officials in Punjab’s prisons. On June 22, Mahinderpal Bittu, the prime suspect in the 2015 Bargari sacrilege case, had been murdered by two fellow inmates in the ‘high-security’ Nabha jail. The customary inquiry will undoubtedly establish the complicity of insiders in both cases, but the ultimate challenge is to get to the bottom of the conspiracy in all its nefarious dimensions. Moreover, there is a pressing need to revamp the prison system in order to ensure foolproof security and surveillance. The efficient use of CCTV cameras and other technological aids can go a long way in curbing crime behind bars. The Jail Manual should be followed religiously; any aberration must neither go unnoticed nor unpunished.