Bhim Tank main convict Doda violated parole jurisdiction: Fazilka police

Punjab: Bhim Tank massacre convict and liquor baron Shiv Lal Doda on Friday violated parole conditions by leaving his home district Fazilka without informing the local police. The Fazilka police recorded the violation and informed the Ferozepur jail authorities for further action in this regard. Sources said one possible consequence of this could be that Doda may lose the opportunity to seek parole in future. He will have to report back to jail after his 56-day parole ends on the morning of April 13. Fazilka SSP Varinder Brar said, “On receiving information that Shiv Lal Doda has left Fazilka without informing the police as per the law for a convict on parole, a police team checked his house. The family members told us that Doda had gone to PGI due to a medical emergency. We have asked the jail authorities to take necessary action.” Earlier, Doda’s nephew and co-convict in the same murder case, Amit Doda, failed to return to jail on March 22 after his 56-day parole ended. Instead, he was admitted to a private hospital in Chandigarh.

Following media inquiries, the Punjab Prisons Department requested a board of doctors from Chandigarh to examine his condition and determine if hospitalisation was necessary. The activities of the Bhim Tank massacre convicts are being investigated. Earlier, a key convict Harpreet Singh alias Harry, who had chopped off the victim’s hands and feet, fled abroad after being released on parole, allegedly fleeing to Dubai using a fake passport. While abroad, he released a video allegedly threatening to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi over issues related to farmers. In the video, he also challenged the PM to hold a rally in Punjab, claiming that he and his accomplices were armed. Besides, Shiv Lal Doda was caught holding a darbar at the Fazilka jail authorities’ office. Shiv was then shifted to Ferozepur jail, while Amit was shifted to Ropar jail. Sources said the Fazilka police also informed the Chandigarh police, which sent teams to trace the convict. However, it was later found that he had left Chandigarh and was heading back to Fazilka. Dalit Bhim was an employee of Tank liquor baron Shiv Lal Doda. In December 2015, Doda’s goons brutally attacked Bhim at Doda’s farmhouse after he refused to work for him. They chopped off his hands and legs, leading to his death. In August 2019, a Fazilka court sentenced 24 people to life imprisonment for the crime.