Punjab: 12 cops suspended for thrashing army colonel, son in Patiala
Colonel Pushpinder Bath, who is undergoing treatment at the Military Hospital in Patiala and is posted at army headquarters in New Delhi, was kicked in the face
After public outrage, 12 Punjab Police personnel, including three inspectors, were placed under suspension on Monday and a departmental inquiry was ordered against them for thrashing an army colonel and his son over a parking dispute on Saturday.
Expressing regret and apologising for the incident, Patiala senior superintendent of police Nanak Singh said that the 12 policemen, including inspectors Harry Boparai, Ronnie Singh and Harjinder Dhillon, had been suspended with immediate effect. “The matter is being probed in detail and justice will be done,” the SSP said.
Colonel Pushpinder Bath, who is undergoing treatment at the Military Hospital in Patiala and is posted at the army headquarters in New Delhi, was allegedly kicked in the face, while his left arm was broken and he suffered injuries on the back following the assault by the policemen, who were in civvies, outside a dhaba near Rajindra Hospital on the intervening night of March 13 and 14.
Initially, the FIR was registered against unidentified people. “The police did not name the personnel as accused in the case initially. Moreover, the FIR was registered only after senior army officers intervened,” Colonel Bath said.
Jaswinder Bath, the wife of the officer, addressed a press conference on Saturday and said her husband and their son were standing outside the car and having food when the policemen reached the spot and asked the colonel to move his car as they wanted to park their vehicle. “When my husband objected to their language, one of them punched him. Later, all the police personnel thrashed my husband and my son,” she said.
CCTV footage of the incident was also shared on social media and drew public outrage with retired army officers condemning the incident and demanding strict action against the police personnel.
