Chandigarh: The CBI has filed the chargesheet in CBI court in Mohali against four Punjab police inspectors in the late March 13 night case in which a serving army officer Col Pushpinder Singh Bath and his son were brutally beaten up by a group of "drunk" Punjab police personnel including four inspectors in Patiala.
Inspector Ronnie Singh named main accused
According to information, inspector Ronnie Singh has been named as the main accused in the chargesheet and the prosecution has pressed various charges including grievous injuries and wrongful restraints against all the accused. The attempt to murder charge does not find mention in the chargesheet.
While the Patiala police had earlier registered a case against inspectors Harry Boparai, Ronnie Singh and Harjinder Dhillon under Sections 109 (attempt to murder), 310, 155(2), 117(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the BNS, another inspector Shaminder Singh was named in the FIR later.
THE SHOCKING CASE
It may be recalled that Col Bath and his son were allegedly assaulted by a group of accused Punjab police personnel on the intervening night of March 13 and 14, 2015, when the two were having food at a roadside "dhaba" (eatery) near Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala.
Allegations of cover-up by local police
The accused cops – who were in civil dress and allegedly drunk but had come in their official police vehicles, rudely asked the army officer to move his car as they wanted to park theirs. They reportedly assaulted them when Col Bath objected to their rude tone. The entire incident was recorded in a CCTV camera installed at the ``dhaba’’.
The police earlier refused to register an FIR and later allegedly attempted to hide the names of some cops. The case came to light after Col Bath's wife addressed newspersons in Chandigarh and Patiala with CCTV footage amid public outcry and protests by ex-servicemen and intervention by Punjab governor.
Col Bath who had also moved Punjab and Haryana High Court in April demanding action in the case, in his petition said that the investigation of the case was transferred from Patiala police to Chandigarh police on April 2 last. "It is being stated with utmost disappointment that …… neither a single accused has been arrested so far nor any accused has been associated with the investigation", he said. The high court transferred the case to CBI in July.
