Batala SHO suspended for ‘dereliction’ of duty

IG ORDERS IMMEDIATE ARREST OF ALL SEVEN PEOPLE, INCLUDING SARPANCH, WHO HAD ALLEGEDLY BEATEN UP TWO CONSTABLES

BATALA: Taking a serious note of the incident in which an Akali sarpanch and his companions “barged into” Qila Lal Singh police station and “roughed up” two constables, inspector general (IG) of police, border range, Amritsar, Lok Nath Angra on Sunday suspended the station house officer ( SHO) for negligence of duty.

The IG also asked Batala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harpreet Singh to immediately arrest all the seven people, including the sarpanch, who had allegedly beat up two head constables.

Confirming this, the SSP told Hindustan Times that SHO Avtar Singh was suspended as he was found “lax” on the duty on the night of August 27, when the incident took place.

The SSP said though a case 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 (IPC) was registered against sarpanch Nishan Singh, Gur meet Singh, Simarjeet Singh, Amandeep Singh, Sartaj Singh, Gurtaj Singh and one unidentified person, who barged into the police station and tried to take away one of their companions Gurmeet Singh.

When cops resisted, the miscreants attacked the policemen and beat up two constables — Gurwinder Singh and Manjinder Singh — tore their uniforms and flee the spot in cars. It is learnt that on the basis of a complaint lodged by Nishan Singh’s wife, the SSP has ordered an inquiry by a deputy superintendent of police (DSP-D).

Tasking a dig at the Batala police, Congress MLA from Fatehgarh Churrian Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa blamed them of playing into the hands of Akali leaders.

He alleged that an assistant sub- inspector ( ASI) and other constables were present on the spot, when the Akali leaders roughed up the constables.