DSP suicide: Injured constable dies in hospital

FARIDKOT : Police constable Lal Singh, 47, who was injured by a bullet fired by DSP Baljinder Singh Sandhu, who had shot himself dead at Jaitu on Monday, died at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital here on Tuesday.

DSP Sandhu had shot himself in the temple, but the bullet also hit an eye of Lal Singh after piercing through Sandhu’s head.

Lal Singh, an ex-army man and a resident of Kot Sukhian village in Faridkot district, joined the Punjab Police in 2011. He is survived by his wife and a five-yearold daughter.

Recently, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nanak Singh had recommended Lal Singh’s promotion as he was part of a team which busted a gang of robbers in Jaitu.

Meanwhile, the SSP has deputed an IPS officer to probe the Jaitu incident wherein Sandhu committed suicide during a protest by college students. ASP Deepak Pareek will probe the circumstances which led the DSP to take the extreme step and the role of SHO Gurmeet Singh who was accused of ‘moral policing’ by the protesting students.

The students were protesting against the SHO for allegedly detaining and thrashing three college students, including a girl, on January 12. A complaint was also given to the SSP, who had directed DSP Sandhu to resolve the issue. But the SHO gave a miss to the meeting called by the DSP.

When contacted, the SHO said police acted against the students on the complaint of residents that they did not attend classes and roamed in the city.

However, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda) leader Buta Singh alleged that the SHO is responsible for the entire episode as the DSP tried his best to resolve the issue but he did not cooperate.

On Tuesday, police handed over the body of the DSP to his family after postmortem. Cremation will take place on Wednesday at Patiala as his son was expected to arrive from Canada late Tuesday night. University College, Jaitu, declared non-teaching holiday on Tuesday.