The Punjab government on Friday suspended seven officers for dereliction of duty in connection with two television interviews of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi aired in March 2023, PTI reported.

The order was issued nearly 10 months after the Punjab Police filed two cases related to the interviews, The Indian Express reported.

A Special Investigation Team formed by the police on the matter found that one interview of Bishnoi was conducted through video conference in September 2022 when he was in custody in Mohali’s Kharar, while the second was done in Rajasthan.

The two interviews were aired by a private channel in March 2023.

Bishnoi, a gangster from Punjab, is now in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Central Jail. He has been linked to multiple crimes, including Canadian government’s allegations that agents of the Indian government were working with his gang to plan and execute violence in North America.

The Mumbai Police also suspect his involvement in the killing of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique on October 12. Bishnoi has also been accused of masterminding the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022.

On Friday, the state Home Department issued orders suspending Superintendent of Police Gursher Singh Sandhu, Deputy Superintendent of Police Sammar Vaneet, Sub-Inspector Reena, Sub-Inspector Jagatpal Jangu, Sub-Inspector Shaganjit Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector Mukhtiar Singh and head constable Om Parkash for “dereliction of duty”.

The Special Investigation Team was formed following a Punjab and Haryana High Court direction in a suo motu matter related to the use of mobile phones by inmates on jail premises, NDTV reported. The team submitted its report to the court in July.

Also read: How Lawrence Bishnoi went from Punjabi student politics to being accused of murders in Canada