E-Paper
Ludhiana: After week-long lawyers’ protest, STF in-charge booked, cross FIR against advocate
Police also registered a cross FIR against advocate Varun Gupta for allegedly manhandling and abusing a constable
Following the intervention of the Punjab and Haryana high court, the Khanna police has lodged an FIR against Ludhiana special task force (STF) in-charge inspector Harbans Singh and three other cops for assaulting and wrongfully restraining an advocate, besides threatening him with a pistol. Police also registered a cross FIR against the advocate, Varun Gupta, for allegedly manhandling and abusing constable Navkamaljot Singh.
Both the complaints had landed at the Khanna police post on February 27 but police had reportedly not registered an FIR, prompting the lawyers to go on a strike, which lasted for almost a week. On February 29, the lawyers had moved the Punjab and Haryana high court alleging police inaction.
As soon as the news of FIR reached the protesting advocates, they lifted the blockade outside the mini-secretariat.
As per information, Harbans Singh has been transferred to Ferozepur for the time.
LAWYER’S CLAIMS
According to Varun Gupta, who is also the former finance secretary of Ludhiana district bar association, he, along with his father and driver, was coming back from Delhi after dropping his brother at Indira Gandhi International Airport on February 25 when the incident took place. They said they had stopped at a dhaba near Doraha around 6am when the workers there told them that a gang of criminals who were on the prowl on the highway. They told Gupta and his father that the suspected criminals were travelling in a Hyundai i-20 car. Later, during the journey they reportedly came across a car of the same make and called the police control room.
Gupta said that after sometime Inspector Harbans Singh along with three others reached the spot and started assaulting him. He alleged that the cops slapped him at least 20 times and even punched him in the stomach. When his driver tried to intervene, the cops overpowered him too. Later, the inspector allegedly put a pistol to his head and forced him to withdraw the complaint. The STF in-charge allegedly also threatened to implicate him in a case of drug peddling if he shared the incident with anyone.
Based on the complaint, the Sadar police have lodged the FIR against Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint)), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (criminal intent) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against Inspector Harbans Singh, constable Navkamajot Singh, constable Gurwinder Singh and homeguard Jaswant Singh.
CONSTABLE’S PLAINT
Constable Navkamaljot Singh stated that he along with inspector Harbans Singh was checking vehicles near Doraha following a tip-off. On reaching the dhaba, they found two persons, one of who was talking over the phone. The constable claimed that on seeing them, the two tried to flee but the cops stopped them for checking. He alleged that the suspects objected to checking and even pushed him. This, the cop said, made them cautious as they had earlier been attacked by drug peddlers in Amritsar.
Constable Navkamaljot added that after checking when no drugs were found, the advocate apologised for his behaviour and the cops even had tea with them and the inspector and Gupta even hugged each other in a friendly gesture. The constable said that as the matter had been resolved amicably on the spot, they did not take action against the advocate for his misbehaviour. But he added that as he had been hurt in the incident, they filed a case against the advocate under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of the Indian Penal Code.
