HC GIVES DGP ARORA FOUR WEEKS TO SUBMIT REPORT

CHANDIGARH:The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday gave four weeks to Punjab director general of police (DGP) Suresh Arora to submit a report in a illegal detention case involving controversial former Moga senior superintendent of police (SSP) Raj Jit Singh Hundal.

The DGP had told court that as per the probe report prepared by the Ferozepur range inspector general of police, there was no trespass in the house of Moga’s Beant Singh as police officials were accompanied by villagers.

However, petitioner’s counsel Pradeep Virk questioned the DGP’s stand submitting that illegality committed by the policemen is being justified. “How can police enter someone’s premises without any search warrant and how can DGP justify findings of report?”, Virk had submitted. The HC bench of justice Daya Chaudhary directed the DGP to submit report in four weeks.

The case pertains to illegal detention of Beant Singh in February 2018. The matter reached court in February. The warrant officer told the court that SHO admitted of detention but in an affidavit filed by Raj Jit, then Moga SSP, contradicted warrant officer’s report arguing that there complaints against the detainee. Following this, HC asked DGP to explain how the SSP contradicted warrant officer’s report. The DGP said the detainee was brought to the police station on the direction of Baghapurana SHO by two cops The dereliction of duty by these two officials is being probed, the DGP said.