The image of Punjab police has suffered yet another blow and have once again proved to be the most rowdy, indisciplined and inhuman force in the country, if the incident of thrashing a Lawyer couple of Chandigarh is any indication.
Victim, Lakhwinder Singh Sidhu and his wife Manpreet Kaur are Chandigarh based, practising lawyers and members of Punjab & Haryana High Court, Chandigarh.
On 5th August, 2000, Lakhwinder Singh and his wife Manpreet Kaur were coming in their car No.PB-23B-2755 from Fatehgarh Sahib towards Chandigarh in the evening. One Contessa Car with Red light atop, belonging to some VIP followed by a Punjab Police escort Gypsy bearing No.PB-12B-________ were also coming on the same route. When the car of Mr.Singh reached the one way main road near Sector 70 of Mohali in Distt.Ropar, at about 7. 55 P.M., the car of the VIP and the escort Gypsy slowed down. Mr. Lakhwinder Singh, who was himself driving the car decided to overtake his car from the right side of the escort Gypsy and sought side from the driver of the Gypsy. On getting the side, he drove a bit fast and his car splashed some drops of muddy water stagnanting in a small pit in the road, on the Policemen sitting in the escort Gypsy. Furiated over the spoiling of their uniform, the six Policemen sitting in the escort Gypsy, overtook the car and stopped it near the Light Point of Phase IX, Mohali and without any provocation dragged the Lawyer from his car and manhandled him. They hurled filthy abuses and one Policemen even gave a blow of the Butt of his gun on the back of the lawyer. He even expressed apology for the splashing of the water upon the Policemen by his car and said that it was wholly unintentional as he did not see the pit on the road. But all his pleadings did not convinced the rowdy Policemen and they continued beating him for more than fifteen minutes. Many passers by who had by that time come to the rescue of the Lawyer and even his wife were not spared by the Policemen,who appeared to be under the influence of liquor from what the victim understood from their language. All this happened when the VIP in the contessa car remained sitting inside and did not intervene to stop the Police highandedness. The Lawyer suffered serious bodily bruises and internal injuries,besides mental agony and frustration for getting beaten without any fault.
Aggrieved at the unprovoked assault by the men in uniform, the victim drove straight to a nearby Police Station, Phase VIII, SAS Nagar,Mohali and made a written complaint to the S.H.O. on 5th August, 2000 at about 8.20 P.M. But instead of registering the First Information Report, the Policemen at the Police Station failed to take any action against the culprits, probably because the accused belonged to their own force. Interestingly, few Policemen at the Police Station offered to bring the culprits before him within few minutes, if he is willing to compromise and not to raise this issue, but when the lawyer refused to compromise with the accused Policemen, he was told to go home and wait for some days enabling the police to hold investigations and thereafter some action would be taken.
Till date, no steps have been taken to even identify the accused Policemen even though the number of the Police Escort Gypsy was given to the Police and the occupants of the Gypsy could be easily traced from the records of Additional Director–General of Police(Security)Punjab under whose orders the security is provided to every VIP in the State. Senior District Police authorities when contacted expressed their ignorance about the incident and said that they will look into it, if brought to their notice.
The victim Lawyer has written to the Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana, President of Punjab & Haryana High Court Bar Association, Director-General of Punjab Police, Senior Superintendent of Police Ropar seeking their intervention in getting the accused Policemen brought to books.
CHANDIGARH
AUGUST 8, 2000