PSPCL SDO among eight booked on cross-complaint
TARN TARAN: Police have booked eight persons, including a subdivisional officer (SDO) and a junior engineer (JE) of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), under charges of attempt to murder in a crossfir, registered hours after ex-minister Adesh Partap Singh Karion’s aide Awan Kumar alias Sonu Cheema and 17 others were booked for thrashing the SDO in Serai Amanat Khan village, 35 km from here.
The cross-fir was registered on Friday evening against SDO Jarnail Singh and junior engineer (JE) Naunihal Singh, and six unidentified persons under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Arms Act.
This FIR was registered on the complaint of Gurpal Singh, a resident of Chabhal village, who alleged that he was thrashed by the accused on Friday when he visited PSPCL’S sub-divisional office at Serai Amanat Khan for getting a new electricity meter installed.”
The original FIR was registered on Friday afternoon against 18 persons, including former SAD sarpanch Sonu Cheema, ex-sarpanch Malkiat Singh, Inderjit Singh of Cheema Kalan village and 15 unidentified persons for thrashing the SDO.
Cheema and his supporters were booked under Sections 379 (theft), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to public servant), 353 (assault), 186 (obstructing public servant) on the complaint of the SDO.
However, police later removed Sections 379 and 332 against Cheema and his supporters.
Notably, Cheema had supported Congress candidate Dharambir Agnihotri from Tarn Taran during the last assembly polls
The case against Cheema— whose brother Monu Cheema is a zila parisad member of the Congress and close aide of legislator (MLA) Agnihotri—was registered after around 100 PSPCL employees, including the SDO and the JE, had staged a protest outside Serai Amanat Khan police station on Friday.
SDO Jarnail Singh said, “We had to collect around ₹1 lakh penalty for power theft from Cheema Kalan village from various houses. Our teams have been visiting the village for the past six months for the recovery, but to no avail.”
He said, “Cheema, along with around 20 of his supporters, reached my office and said he would not allow any official to collect the penalty. When I told him that we are duty-bound to charge the penalty, he started thrashing me. His supporters too manhandled me brutally and I was injured.”
He said, “On Thursday evening, I lodged a complaint against Cheema and his supporters but police didn’t take any action due to political pressure. On Friday, we protested outside the police station and then the case was registered.”
He alleged that Cheema and his supporters again came to the PSPCL office and kept them hostage till late night on Friday. “We called our senior officers and police reached the spot and saved us.”
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Darshan Singh Mann said, “Senior police officials were present at Serai Amanat Khan village on Friday and no PSPCL official was kept hostage.”
Alleging political interference, the sub-divisional officer (SDO) said, “If the police don’t take action on our complaint till Sunday, PSPCL employees will go on a strike.”
EARLIER, EX-MINISTER KAIRON’S AIDE SONU CHEEMA AND 17 OTHERS WERE BOOKED FOR THRASHING SDO