Bhim Tank key convict Doda violated parole jurisdiction: Fazilka police

The Bhim Tank murder convict and liquor baron Shiv Lal Doda violated his parole conditions by leaving his home district, Fazilka, on Friday 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 might lose the opportunity to seek parole in future.

He is required to report back to jail after his 56-day parole ends on the morning of April 13.

Fazilka SSP Varinder Brar said, “Upon receiving information that Shiv Lal Doda left Fazilka without informing the police as required by law for a convict on parole, a police team checked his house. Family members informed us that Doda went to the 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 murder convicts are under scrutiny. Previously, a key convict, Harpreet Singh, alias Harry, who had chopped off the victim’s hands and feet, jumped parole and fled abroad, reportedly to Dubai, using a fake passport. While abroad, he released a video allegedly threatening to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi over farmer-related issues. In the video, he also challenged the PM to hold a rally in Punjab, claiming he and his associates were armed.

Also, Shiv Lal Doda was caught holding darbar in the office of the Fazilka jail authorities. Shiv was then shifted to the Ferozepur jail, while Amit was shifted to Ropar Jail.

Sources said the Fazilka police also informed the Chandigarh Police, which dispatched teams to locate the convict. However, it was later learned that he had left Chandigarh and was en route back to Fazilka.

Bhim Tank, a Dalit, was an employee of liquor baron Shiv Lal Doda. In December 2015, Doda’s musclemen brutally attacked Bhim at Doda’s farmhouse after he refused to work for him. They chopped off his hands and feet, leaving him to bleed to death. In August 2019, a Fazilka court sentenced 24 individuals to life imprisonment for the crime.

Punjab