Punjab cops accused of frame-up, HC summons NCB chief

CHANDIGARH The Punjab and Haryana High court has summoned chief of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Punjab, on allegations by a Kapurthala resident accusing police of frame-up.

Kapurthala resident Gurmeet Singh was booked in May 2015 and was in court seeking a regular bail. His lawyer, IPS Kohli, had argued that as per police claim, 110gm of intoxicant powder was recovered from him. But he was not taken to a gazetted officer or a magistrate and instead it was shown that he had consented for spot search .

“Entire exercise of seizing contraband has been reduced to a farce. Punjab Police has now made a profroma in Gurmukhi, wherein by a printed format, a question is shown to have been put to the accused as to whether he wishes to get himself examined by a gazetted officer or a magistrate or by the arresting officer. Thereafter, the proforma is simply filled in with a few words, which are handwritten to suit the situation,” Kohli told court showing the printed proforma. The court was further told that another FIR was registered by the same police station against a person of the same village of an identical quantity of drugs of same concentration and the arrest was shown in similar circumstances. The petitioner is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present case due to party faction. Police had planted false case not only against him, but another person of the village, showing same recovery, the court was told seeking its intervention.

The matter will be taken up on March 7, on which date NCB head has been asked to remain present.