E-Paper
Tarn Taran SSP transferred; CIA in-charge among 5 cops suspended
According to suspension order issued by DIG, Ferozepur range, the cops tortured the MLA’s brother-in-law to make him confess that the mining operation was being carried out by Lalpura
TARN TARAN :Two days after the police arrested Aam Aadmi Party’s Khadoor Sahib MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura’s brother-in-law for allegedly running a sand mining nexus, the state government on Thursday shifted Tarn Taran senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan and suspended five police officers.
Those suspended include Goindwal Sahib SHO Sukhbir Singh, CIA in-charge sub-inspector (SI) Prabhjit Singh, SI Surjit Singh, and assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) Paramdeep Singh and Hardeep Singh. They have been charged with torturing the MLA’s brother-in-law, Nishan Singh, a resident of Khawaspur village.
Nishan was among 10 persons arrested for alleged illegal sand mining during a special raid by the CIA staff of Tarn Taran police on Tuesday night. According to the police, 10 tipper trucks and an excavator were recovered from the spot and the mining operation was being operated by one Avtar Singh with the help of Nishan.
The cops who have been suspended had conducted the raid and arrested the accused.
According to the suspension order issued by deputy inspector general (DIG), Ferozepur range, Ranjit Singh Dhillon, a copy of which is with HT, the five officers had tortured the MLA’s brother-in-law to make him confess that the mining operation was being carried out by the MLA.
“The cops thrashed Nishan and also recorded his video after removing his clothes. He was threatened and forced to name the MLA for the mining operation,” reads the order. The DIG has confirmed the development.
The order further says that the act was irresponsible, condemnable and punishable. SSP Chauhan confirmed that his transfer was related to the police action against the MLA’s brother-in-law. Earlier, the SSP had said that the raid was video-graphed, which was conducted on the basis of a tip-off. The operation was overseen by an SP, he had said.
On Wednesday, Lalpura had alleged that his brother-in-law was implicated in a false case in a preplanned conspiracy. He alleged that the SSP had taken ‘revenge’ from him as he had flared up the issue of corruption in Tarn Taran police a fortnight ago.
“The CIA in-charge had been bragging that he was giving ₹25 lakh per month to the SSP. On the instruction of the SSP, the CIA team arrested my relative. If there were the reports of illegal mining, the local police and the mining department should have taken the action,” the MLA said.
Earlier, the SSP had said that the CIA team was sent for the raid to avoid information leak.
