After Congress MLA Angad Singh's close confidant Vikas Soni was brought in for interrogation in the 2019 liquor smuggling case, the legislator and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar senior superintendent
of police Harmanbir Singh Gill had an altercation on Thursday, September 16.
In the evening, the MLA and his supporters held a protest against the SSP in front of the district administration complex. Soni was grilled for around 45 minutes before being allowed to
leave, according to a senior official.
Interestingly, the Congress MLA's and SSP's Gill's families have long-standing business and land disputes. Now, Angad Singh has linked alleged disputes to the recent investigation
of Soni and accused SBS Nagar SSP of working in cahoots with AAP and harassing Congress workers.
Reportedly, the MLA supporter, Vikas Soni was walked into the police station in connection with an Excise Act case in which 805 cartons of whisky intended for supply in Haryana were seized.
Soni has been wrongly accused in the case, said the MLA.
“Since the time he has arrived, he has left no stone unturned to ensure that I suffer in the ensuing assembly election due to his personal enmity with me,” said MLA Singh.
However, SSP Gill alleged that the land dispute between their families was already settled in black and white. He also claimed that MLA even called him to get the works done when he was
posted as a regional passport officer in Jalandhar.
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MLA Angad Singh has accused SSP of “forcing Congress workers and others to join AAP.” “In the last three-four weeks, false FIRs have been registered,” said the MLA.
“Soni was falsely accused in the case because he assisted me in obtaining land in Amritsar. A report was prepared in the backdate due to the same reasons,” claimed the MLA, who
also questioned why the report was completed just two days before the former SSP's transfer and why, if Soni was guilty, no action was taken in the last year.
“I will not allow any injustice against Congress workers, and if the police do not stop, they will be held responsible for any emergent law-and-order situation,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, the SSP in question denied all the allegations and said “the enquiry in the Excise Act case was held by an SIT led by former SBS Nagar senior superintendent of police Alka
Meena who found the person guilty. Everything about investigations had happened before I joined and today in the due process police brought him."
He further alleged that Soni was let off due to pressure from MLA.
The SSP said that the MLA's resentment toward him stemmed from his crackdown on illegal mining and drugs.
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“Leaders from all parties, including the AAP, met with me. Why would I want to be a part of AAP? The MLA is making childish allegations. I'm just doing my job,” SSP Gill
explained.
2019 liquor smuggling case
On April 5, 2019, two Mohali men- Balwinder Singh and Maan Singh were apprehended in SBS Nagar and 800 crates of illegal liquor were seized, just days before the general elections.
Hemant Kumar, Shankar Duggal and Gaurav Chopra- three partners who ran the shelter where the liquor was unloaded, were later identified as accused in the case. Hemant Kumar and Shankar Duggal,
both of the Akali Dal, later requested a re-investigation into their roles.
In August 2020, Ludhiana Inspector General of Police Naunihal Singh appointed an SIT to investigate the case which was led by then-SSP (SBS Nagar) Alka Meena.
The SIT uncovered that Ravinder Singh, Honey Chadha and Gaurav Chopra, all accused in the case in connivance with Vikas Soni, had procured the illegal alcohol from Ranjodh Singh, as per
the report. Meanwhile, the SIT determined that Hemant Kumar and Shankar Duggal were not guilty. Six people have been arrested thus far.