Shaken up by the Amritsar police’s alleged highhandedness and misbehaviour with the court-appointed warrant officer to ensure release of a detenue from over-one-monthold illegal police custody, the Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered the police officials, including Amritsar police commissioner and SP (detective), to be present in the court on Friday for explanation.
Pulling up the police officials, justice TPS Mann directed the station house officer (SHO) of Jandiala Guru police station to produce detenue Karnail Singh, 40, who is in alleged illegal police custody since July 14, in the court. Police officials have also been directed to bring rojnamchas of the CIA staff as well as of Jandiala Guru police station.
Those who have to be present in the court on Friday morning are Amritsar commissioner of police Jatinder Singh Aulakh, superintendent of police (detective) Amritsar rural Rajeshwar Singh Sidhu, Jandiala Guru police station SHO inspector Paramjit Singh, CIA staff incharge Rashpal Singh, and CIA staff constables Gurpreet Singh and Sawinder Singh.
Justice Mann said he was “shaken up” after going through warrant officer Naresh Chand’s report wherein he had levelled “serious allegations” against the police officials of the CIA staff, including superintendent of police (detective) Rajeshwar Singh Sidhu, of misbehaving with him and the non-release of the detenue despite court orders. The judge said police officials were expected to protect the fundamental rights of the citizens and not to hound them.
Following court directions, the warrant officer had visited the Jandiala Guru CIA staff office on August 4 where Sidhu allegedly used “derogatory words” for the warrant officer and shouted that “no power on earth can get the detenue released”, claiming that he would “manage the documents” and submit the report to the court. The officer, in his report, submitted that he found the CIA officials in an inebriated condition and the detenue in the illegal lockup of the CIA staff without entries of his arrest in the daily diary register. Though the detenue was released by the warrant officer, Sidhu allegedly again put him in the lockup.
Following court directions, the warrant officer had visited the Jandiala Guru CIA staff office on August 4 where Sidhu allegedly used “derogatory words” for the warrant officer and shouted that “no power on earth can get the detenue released”, claiming that he would “manage the documents” and submit the report to the court. The officer, in his report, submitted that he found the CIA officials in an inebriated condition and the detenue in the illegal lockup of the CIA staff without entries of his arrest in the daily diary register. Though the detenue was released by the warrant officer, Sidhu allegedly again put him in the lockup.
The warrant officer had reported that Jandiala SHO had made forged entries in the record showing the arrest of the detenue and taking him to the CIA staff.
Though on Thursday, Jandiala DSP Amandeep Kaur filed a reply in the court, justice Mann found that “a bid had been made” to “shield police officials” who had misbehaved with the warrant officer.