Punjab and Haryana HC hands over assault case of colonel to Chandigarh Police

Chandigarh, April 3 (IANS) The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday directed the Chandigarh Police to investigate the case of alleged assault of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath by Punjab Police personnel and complete the probe within four months.

The army officer was allegedly assaulted by 12 Punjab Police personnel in Patiala over a parking dispute.

The bench of Justice Harpreet Singh Brar instructed the Chandigarh Police to set up a Special Investigation Team within three days, and also specified that no Punjab Police officer should be part of the SIT to ensure a fair and transparent probe.

Col Bath, an officer posted in Delhi, moved the High Court last week, seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the Punjab Police allegedly delayed filing a first information report (FIR) regarding his assault on him and his son by 12 policemen, including four inspectors.

The incident occurred on the night of March 13 when Colonel Bath, his son, and his wife were having dinner in Patiala.

In his petition, Colonel Bath had stated that he and his son were brutally attacked by four inspector-rank officers of the Punjab Police and their armed subordinates, who snatched his identity card and mobile phone, and threatened him with a "fake encounter" over a parking dispute outside an eatery.

The petitioner alleged that the colonel’s wife, Jaswinder Kaur, was pressured by the policemen to strike a compromise and claimed that some personnel admitted to her over a video call that they were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

Four days after the incident, the police apologised to the army officer and assured "strict action against the erring cops".

Earlier, the case was heard twice by the bench of Justice Sandeep Moudgil, who came down heavily on the Punjab government and questioned the police on the delay in registration of an FIR and non-arrest of the accused police personnel.

Expressing reservations over the conduct of the Punjab Police in the case involving the Colonel and his son, Justice Moudgil asked: "Why did you not register the FIR when you learnt of the incident? Why this delay? What is the explanation?"

--IANS

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