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Two cops indicted in property fraud year ago, Bathinda police yet to act
The inquiry report had indicted inspector Harbans Singh (then posted at Kotwali police station as SHO) and ASI Kulwinder Singh of forcibly grabbing property. The victim was Manish Garg.
More than a year after Bathinda inspector general (then the zonal IG), Nilabh Kishore, recommended action against an inspector and an assistant sub-inspector for negligence, based on an inquiry report that indicted them in March 2017, cops have been dragging their feet on the issue.
The inquiry report, in possession of HT, had indicted inspector Harbans Singh (then posted at Kotwali police station as SHO) and ASI Kulwinder Singh of forcibly grabbing property. The victim was Manish Garg, of Nihal Singh Wala (Moga); he was forced to sign papers of his shop at the Kotwali police lock-up on December 30, 2016.
The IG had recommended action against inspector Harbans Singh for negligence in duty and a departmental inquiry against ASI Kulwinder Singh. The inquiry had found that the ASI, along with Deepak Kumar and Gulshan Kumar (of Nihal Singh Wala) got signed stamps papers in back-date from Garg. The report had relied on mobile phone location details and other evidence.
A detailed investigation by SP (headquarters), Bathinda, was also recommended. “Gulshan wanted to grab the shop of my son Manish. The property was worth around Rs 2 crore,” claimed Sushma Rani, the mother of Manish. She had lodged a police complaint into the episode, leading to the inquiry. Manish was arrested in December 2016 in a cheating case of July 2016.
Bathinda SP also recommended action
In November 2017, Bathinda SP (headquarters) Bhupinder Singh also recommended action against the cops and endorsed the IG’s report. Bathinda SSP Naveen Singla said, “We have formed a Special Investigation Team (SP (investigation), DSP city-1, in-charge EO-wing) for further action against inspector Harbans Singh. “The departmental inquiry against the ASI recommended that his service period be reduced by seven years. This notice has been served to the ASI,” Singla added.
HC notice to state in case
The Punjab and Haryana high court has served a notice of motion to the state on the petition that the victim’s mother, Sushma Rani, has filed and fixed the next hearing for May 14. Her counsel, Vinay Gupta, said, “We have moved court, seeking investigation into the cheating case against Manish Garg and legal action against those indicted.”
