The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday said there was a grave threat to the life of former minister Bikram Singh Majithia in Patiala jail where he is currently lodged after he was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Addressing a Press conference to highlight the letter written by Majithia’s wife and legislator Ganieve Kaur Majithia to Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) along with a copy to chief minister Bhagwant Mann, senior SAD leaders Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema said there was every likelihood of him being implicated in another false case at the behest of additional DGP Harpreet Sidhu who had been entrusted with the additional charge of ADGP prisons to settle political and personal scores.

They demanded the immediate removal of Sidhu from the additional charge of ADGP, Prisons besides taking other necessary action in the case. The SAD leaders said Sidhu had been posted as ADGP (prisons) with the motive of planting something on the former minister.

The SAD leaders said there was severe animosity between the families of Majithia and Sidhu. They said Sidhu was closely related to Majithia as the police officer’s mother and the paternal aunt of Majithia were real sisters.

“There has been bad blood between the families for generations with Sidhu’s family blaming Majithia’s family for the death of their aunt. The animosity can be seen in the fact that Majithia’s grandfather had been shot by the security guard of Sidhu’s father while he was visiting the latter. This strained relationship and animosity were also withheld by Sidhu from the High Court before he embarked upon conducting an inquiry on the alleged role of Majithia in a drug case,” Grewal said.

Grewal and Dr. Daljit Cheema said it was also a matter of fact that AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal was inimical towards Majithia because he was forced to apologize to the latter for leveling false allegations against him of being involved in the drug trade. They said registering a case against Majithia was also part of the poll plank of AAP in 2017.