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Punjab: ‘Possibility of self-inflicted injuries can’t be ruled out’
Four police officers connected with the incident have been transferred from their posts, according to an affidavit submitted by the DGP in the high court
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The Punjab director general of police (DGP) has told the high court that the possibility of self-inflicted injuries cannot be ruled out in the case of an alleged assault on a Sikh youth by police personnel and others after he showed a black flag to the cavalcade of chief minister Bhagwant Mann on September 2 in Sangrur.
The DGP further told the court that the allegations were being examined by a fact-finding committee. Four police officers connected with the incident have been transferred from their posts, according to an affidavit submitted by the DGP in the high court.
“...Duration of injuries mentioned (are of) within 2 to 6 hours as prior to examination, whereas alleged custodial torture is of the evening of 02.09.2026; thus there is considerable discrepancy in time. It is pertinent to mention here that, as per the opinion of the doctor dated 03.09.2026, the “possibility of self -infliction or friendly hand cannot be ruled out,” the affidavit said, quoting the doctor’s opinion on the nature of injuries.
The petition was filed by Gurmail Singh, whose son Mohanjit Singh allegedly showed a black flag to Mann during his visit to Sheron village. The petitioner alleged that a team of police officers and officials went to the rooftop from where his son had shown the flag, caught him by his beard and assaulted him. He sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Photographs submitted with the petition were also examined by the court. Gurmail further alleged that after this incident, his son was illegally detained and was first taken to the police post, zonal police city, Sunam, and then to Cheema police station. The high court had sought an affidavit on September 10.
The DGP has told the court that Mohanjit had allegedly indulged in a scuffle with the locals before the programme began.
“Mohanjit Singh returned in the evening, during the address of the chief minister, along with one Mani Sharma, waved a black flag and raised slogans from a house situated at the rear side of the stage where the function of the chief minister was being held.”
Mohanjit and Sharma were rounded up and detained at Anaj Mandi police post, Sunam, for questioning and to prevent any “breach of peace or commission of a cognizable offence”. Sharma was later released. However, Mohanjit Singh was taken to Cheema police station for preventive action, the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, he was taken for medical examination to Civil Hospital, Sunam, on September 3. After a policeman suspected that he was under the influence of an intoxicant, a test found him “morphine positive.” Mohanjit’s uncle and an advocate had protested, but a re-test also showed the same result, the affidavit said.
Before being released, he was medically examined and was found to have no fresh injuries, the DGP said, adding that the same evening a report came from Civil Hospital, Sangrur, that Mohanjit had been admitted in an injured condition, with a medico-legal report recording 10 injuries.
The court has been further told that an SIT has been constituted comprising IPS officers Dilpreet Singh and Gazalpreet Kaur, along with PPS officer Palwinder Singh Cheema. Of the seven police personnel whose names appeared in the contemporaneous record as having been present during, or connected with, the rounding-up, questioning, escort, lock-up or subsequent recording of the injured person’s statement, four had been transferred out of the posting on the date of the incident, the affidavit added.
