Post-Mortem Shows BSF Constable Tortured; Bishnoi Series Stalled

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April

2026

The autopsy of Border Security Force (BSF) constable Jaswinder Singh who was picked up by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drug-related case on 3 Mar from Amritsar has revealed as many as 34 external injuries indicating custodial torture. Around 25 injuries were inflicted 2–4 days prior to death, while nine were sustained 18–24 hours before death. The constable was on leave when he was arrested in connection with an earlier Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 case registered against his brother, Pupinder Singh. Pupinder was discharged by a Jammu court on 9 Mar. NCB has suspended investigating officer Akash Rai in connection with the case. Meanwhile, acting on concerns flagged by Panjab Police, the Indian Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has advised OTT platform ZEE5 not to release a web series based on gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, warning that the content could 'incite violence' and disturb public order. Panjab Indian National Congress (INC) chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring had filed a Public Interest Litigation against the series in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. After the series was stopped, public figures in Panjab have received threats by the Bishnoi gang. They include Warring, INC's Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, and Balkaur Singh, father of slain singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu alias Sidhu Moosewala. Warring said the Panjab INC would continue its fight against gangsters and asserted that a 'gangster-free Panjab' would be a top priority for the party. Randhawa accused the gangsters of being patronized by the Indian union government. He questioned how Bishnoi, lodged in Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat, is still issuing threats and made serious allegations about use of mobile phones by Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, lodged in Dibrugarh Jail, Assam. Additionally, Panjab police's War on Gangsters completed three months on 20 Apr. Police conducted 62,302 raids across the state, arrested 22,605 people including 461 associates of gangsters and 22,144 wanted individuals. In addition, police took 915 proclaimed offenders into custody. Firing incidents decreased from 29 cases reported in January 2026, to nine recorded until 20 Apr, a decline of nearly 69% (earlier coverage).