Akali sarpanch, SAD workers assault cops

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Batala, August 28

An Akali sarpanch and some Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) workers barged into the Qila Lal Singh police station of Batala police district around 10pm yesterday, assaulted two constables and tore their uniforms.

More than 10 policemen were reportedly present in the police station when the incident occurred.

How the Akali leader and his accomplices managed to assault policemen on duty in the presence of their colleagues, some of them senior to them, remains a mystery. 

“Other policemen present there remained mute spectators to the incident. They kept quiet because they knew the sarpanch has the backing of a powerful SAD leader who wields enough influence to even get senior policemen  transferred or suspended as per his whims and fancies,” claimed a police source. SSP Harpreet Singh said an FIR under various sections of the IPC had been registered against the sarpanch and other SAD workers. He said he had also initiated a departmental inquiry into the alleged misbehaviour by the two policemen who were assaulted.

After thrashing the policemen, the sarpanch and others accompanying him walked out of the police station with the cops, in front of whom two of their colleagues were badly roughed up, maintaining a silence.

Initially, the police reportedly showed reluctance in registering a case against Dalam village sarpanch Nishan Singh. They were even ready to brush the entire episode under the carpet. The SSP booked the accused when the word spread that “some policemen had been beaten up by Akali workers inside a police station”.

A police officer said the Qila Lal Singh police received information around 7.45pm yesterday that Dalam village resident Gurmeet Singh was abusing people and creating nuisance in the area under the influence of liquor. A police team reached the spot and brought him to the police station.

Within 30 minutes, six persons, led by the sarpanch, reached the police station. They unsuccessfully tried to take Gurmeet Singh away from the police station. They then assaulted policemen Gurwinder Singh and Manjinder Singh who had resisted the move of the sarpanch and his men to free Gurmeet Singh from the lock-up.

Eyewitnesses claimed SHO Avtar Singh was not present in the police station at the time of the incident. On reaching the police station, instead of taking action against the Akali leaders, he helped them to flee from the spot the spot, they said.