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Changes at the top, unabated snatching, robberies mark a turbulent year for Ludhiana police
The Ludhiana police department witnessed three changes at the top this year. Mandeep Singh Sidhu joined as commissioner of police on November 15, replacing Kaustubh Sharma — who had remained in the position for nine months between April 8 and November 14. Gurpreet Singh Bhullar had earlier served as police chief
Police department remained on toes throughout a vast majority of 2022, with repeated incidents of snatchings and robberies being reported from the city. While police teams busted multiple gangs, crime continued largely unabated for most part.
Visits of Union home minister Amit Shah, former president of the Indian National Congress Rahul Gandhi, the party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several other national leaders before assembly election also kept the police occupied. Clashes between candidates and their supporters were reported in the lead-up to the election, but polling day went smoothly.
The police department witnessed three changes at the top. Mandeep Singh Sidhu joined as commissioner of police on November 15, replacing Kaustubh Sharma — who had remained in the position for nine months between April 8 and November 14. Gurpreet Singh Bhullar had earlier served as police chief.
The city police faced embarrassment after a station house officer (SHO) from Daba filed a daily dairy report (DDR) in the police station against one of his senior officers before leaving the station in May. He flagged abused at the hands of assistant commissioner of police (ACP, Industrial area B) Rajesh Kumar. Inspector Davinder Sharma, also an SHO at Daba echoed the sentiment, saying the ACP’s behaviour was not appropriate.
The lows:
Two custodial deaths
Two incidents of custodial deaths in seven months also put the police under scanner. On October 1, an accused arrested for allegedly murdering a factory worker during a robbery bid died by suicide in the custody of CIA staff 1. The man used a blanket to hang himself from a grill in the lockup.
On March 6, meanwhile, a Mohla Goraya village, Jalandhar, resident who was arrested by the Salem Tabri police on Jalandhar Bypass chowk for an alleged snatching also ended his life in the police lockup.
From murder to drugs
On March 19, a constable shot himself in his stomach with his AK 47 rifle after killing a married woman in Joshi Nagar of Haibowal in front of her two children on Saturday late. The woman died on the spot, while the policeman was rushed to hospital.
A Punjab Police constable allegedly shot dead a nurse during the wee hours of September 29 with his licensee revolver at a rented accommodation in New Prem Nagar in Ghumar Mandi. The accused was in a relationship with the victim.
Five police personnel, meanwhile, were arrested for accepting bribes, an SHO, an ASI and a constable for being involved in selling drugs and two constables for robbing people. An ASI was also booked for abetment to suicide also after a car dealer had shot self in his head.
National Commission for Women chair rebukes police
National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma on April 12 rebuked police for not taking appropriate action on the women-related cases. The chairperson said Punjab Police was worse when compared to police from other states in the area, adding that they worked under political pressure.
Police goes easy on VIPs
Municipal corporation’s senior town planner (STP) SS Bindra, along with his two sons and their hotel staff, have been booked for a murder bid on an investment advisor and his guests during a party at the restaurant owned by the accused following a dispute over a bill. The police faced flak for not arresting Bindra, who later availed bail from the court.
Police also seemed to go easy on former Atam Nagar legislator and head of Lok Insaaf Party Simarjeet Singh Bains, who was facing rape charges and did not arrest him for atleast one year even after lodging an FIR.
The highs
Action against drinking in public
Coming down heavily against drinking in the public, the police initiated a special drive against violators for consuming liquor in their cars outside eateries. The police arrested more than 100 people in 70 cases pertaining to the same.
Investigation in Sidhu Moose Wala murder case
Ludhiana police arrested the accused involved in the murder of singer-turned-politician Sidhu Moose Wala — Sandeep Singh Kahlon, nephew of former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) minister and former speaker of the state assembly. Police had also brought notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria on production warrant for questioning.
Amritsar IED blast
Police had also nabbed three miscreants who had helped the main accused of implanting IED under the car of Amritsar based sub-inspector on August 15.
Two double murder cases cracked open
Two double murder cases reported this year were cracked open by the city police — with the arrest of the accused of murdering Sukhdev Singh, 65, and his wife Gurmeet Kaur, 62, at their Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar house on May 5 and the son of retired Indian Air Force audit officer Bhupinder Singh and his wife Sushpinder Kaur, who were murdered at their house in Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar on May 25.
Other happenings:
A 50-year-old head constable ended his life by hanging himself inside the Dugri police station on the intervening night of November 13 and 14. The cop used to sleep in a room on the first floor of the station, where he hung himself. Four days before the incident, ASI Manohar Lal had allegedly ended his life by shooting himself with his service weapon at Malkhana of Sarabha Nagar police station.
Two more police personnel – including Bains’ security personnel and a head constable deputed in the security of Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Anil Sareen had died when his service rifle went off at Sareen’s house.
Bharat Bhushan Ashu arrested
Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested Congress leader and former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on August 22 for his alleged involvement in a scam related to allotment of transportation tenders on fake registration number of vehicles during his tenure in the previous government. The vigilance suspects it to be a ₹2000-crore scam.
FIR against former LIT chairperson
On July 28, the Vigilance Bureau lodged an FIR against former chairperson of Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) Raman Balasubramanium and five others in alleged corruption in sale of the plots. He remains on the run.
