Pending forensic reports: SIT seeks time to finish probe

COURT TOLD THAT COMPLAINANT DR AGGARWAL HAS NOT JOINED THE INQUIRY AS HE WAS TESTED POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS AND WAS QUARANTINED

: The special investigation team (SIT) looking into the death of a Hoshiarpur resident, who was killed in police firing in Amritsar in December last year, has sought more time from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to conclude the probe, saying reports of forensic examination of some technical evidence are awaited.

Inderjit Singh (40), the victim, was accused of snatching an SUV from a doctor in Haryana’s Ambala district on December 8.

A team of the crime investigation agency (CIA) unit of Amritsar commissionerate police that intercepted him had claimed that its members resorted to firing after the 40-year-old tried to run over them at a check-point near the Nijjarpura (or Manawala) toll plaza on the Amritsar-Delhi national highway.

The SIT, headed by inspector general of police (border range) SPS Parmar, was constituted after the victim’s family moved the high court in March, terming the encounter as a “murder”. The court had asked the probe team to submit its inquiry report specifying as why no FIR was registered against the accused policemen so far. The HC bench had also directed subdivisional magistrate (SDM) Vikas Hira to submit a magisterial report into the case on April 20.

The SIT told the court that the pending reports of forensic examination are important for concluding the probe. Besides, the court was informed that the carjacking complainant, Dr Sanjay Aggarwal, has not joined the inquiry as he was tested positive for coronavirus and was quarantined.

“The mobile phone of a farmer who had shot a video of the incident was sent for forensic examination for retrieval of the recording that was allegedly deleted by the CIA personnel. Besides, the CCTV footage captured in the cameras installed at the toll plaza is also needed. The forensic reports of both are awaited,” the SIT said in its report.

It also claimed to have examined 49 witnesses.

IG Parmar said, “The concluded report will be filed once we get forensic details.”

The court has fixed the next date of hearing on May 27.