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Ludhiana: ASI suspended, three cops transferred for custodial torture
Advocates Sidharth Chandi and Mohit Chandi alleged that they were thrashed in lock-up
Two days after lawyer brothers, Sidharth Chandi and Mohit Chandi, were allegedly beaten up in custody, police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal suspended assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sham Singh, after a meeting with a delegation of advocates.
The police chief also transferred Haibowal station house officer (SHO) Jaskanwal Singh, ASI Didar Singh and constable Hemant to the police lines with immediate effect, and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the matter.
Another delegation of lawyers, along with the two advocate brothers, went to meet the police commissioner in the evening, however, he was not available. Following this, the advocates staged a protest outside the commissioner’s office for about 45 minutes.
Later, joint commissioner of police and SIT head Bhagirath Singh Meena met the advocates, who handed over a written complaint to him.
District bar association general secretary Gagandeep Singh Saini said the SIT head had assured an FIR against errant cops and said that the footage of closed-circuit television cameras, installed at the police station, would be procured.
In the written complaint, advocate Sidharth Chandi named 10 cops, including inspector Jaskanwal Singh Sekhon, ASI Sham Singh, ASI Bhinderpal, constables Hemant, Inderjit and Gagandeep Singh, Sarabha Nagar SHO sub-inspector Madhu Bala, ASI Malkit Singh and ASI Didar Singh.
The advocate further alleged that when the cops were thrashing them, the SHO was heard saying that they should not have dared to go against the liquor sellers in the area as they “run the government”. The SHO allegedly also threatened to implicate the brothers in a rape case and brandished a gun at them.
The complainant also alleged that when the cops were beating them, SHO Madhu Bala had visited the police station.
When Sidharth requested her for help, the woman sub-inspector allegedly abused him and asked the police personnel to thrash them.
