E-Paper
Abduction case: Former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini quizzed by SIT
The case is in connection with the disappearance of Balwant Singh Multani, a Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Corporation employee, in 1991
Former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini was on Sunday questioned by the special investigating team (SIT) in a case registered against him in connection with the disappearance of Balwant Singh Multani, a Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Corporation (CITCO) employee, in 1991.
Saini was quizzed by the probe team at the office of Mohali senior superintendent of police (SSP). The three-member SIT comprises Mohali superintendent of police (SP-investigation) Harmandeep Singh Hans, deputy superintendent of police (DSP-investigation) Bikramjit Singh Brar and Rajiv Kumar, station house officer (SHO), Mataur, where the case was registered on May 6.
SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal said, “Saini reached the office at 4 pm and left at 5.30 pm. We cannot reveal the questions posed by SIT members to the former DGP.”
The police had sealed the road leading to the SSP office during Saini’s questioning.
The ex-DGP was granted anticipatory bail in the case by a Mohali court on May 11.
Following the directions of the court, he had submitted his passport to the police and gave an undertaking that he is ready to join the investigations.
The court had restrained Saini from leaving the country without prior permission of the court.
While directing Saini to join investigation within seven days, the court had also restrained Saini from making “any threat, promise or inducement to any person conversant with the facts of the case to dissuade him/her from disclosing the truth to the court or police.”
THE CASE
Multani was allegedly picked up by two officers after a terrorist attack on Saini, then SSP, Chandigarh, in which four policemen in his security posse were killed. The police later claimed that Multani had escaped from the custody of Qadian police.
A case was registered under Sections 364 (kidnapping or abduction in order to murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 344 (wrongful confinement), 330 (voluntarily causing hurt to exhort confession) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) in Mohali on May 6 on the basis of a complaint filed by Multani’s brother Palwinder Singh Multani.
Former DSP Baldev Singh Saini, inspector Satvir Singh, sub-inspectors Har Sahai Sharma, Jagir Singh and Anoop Singh and ASI Kuldip Singh were also named in the case.
