Four mistaken for brawl accused, allege torture

PKJaiswar

tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 22

A brawl takes place at a fuel station, the police are informed about the SUV the accused travelled in but the cops mistake four others for the suspects and thrash them for hours besides handcuffing them. Later, the police release the boys in an utter embarrassment as their parents turn up along with BJP leader Dr Rakesh Sharma to prove their innocence.

According to information, a brawl took place near Amandeep Hospital between a group of men and employees of a fuel station in Rani Ka Bagh on Thursday evening. Accusing them of snatching cash, the staff informed the police and gave details of the SUV they were travelling in.

Hardly half an hour later, the police claimed to have arrested four persons. Though they were travelling in the same vehicle, they had nothing to do with the brawl as the CCTV footage of the petrol pump suggests. The youths said one of them had dropped their acquaintances to their residences from a marriage palace, who may have had a scuffle with the fuel station staff as the driver had taken a halt there to answer the nature’s call.

The youths alleged that the police handcuffed them before thrashing and torturing them for the whole night.

Later, when their family members came to know about the incident, they approached BJP leader Dr Rakesh Sharma who accompanied them to the Civil Lines police station. When he along with the family members of the detainees saw the CCTV footage, it became clear that the police had arrested wrong persons. After a probe, they were released on Friday morning.

The victims, later, approached Laxmi Kanta Chawla and apprised her of the police “atrocities”. They alleged that they were kept in handcuffs for the whole night. They were not allowed to call their family members. They said they repeatedly pleaded before the cops to listen to them for a minute before taking any action, but the cops kept on them thrashing.

Chawla said, “The cops kept the young boys in illegal detention and tortured them without investigating who the actual culprits were.”

She demanded a probe and action against the erring cops. She said it was a quarrel and not a snatching as being claimed by the police.

The SUV belongs to Amandeep Singh, who was driving it. The victims said, “Amandeep was ferrying some relatives from a marriage function who had stopped at the filling station for answering the nature’s call. Amandeep was not aware of the quarrel between the employees and the car occupants.”

After dropping them, he returned to his home in the walled city and took out his cousins for having snacks nearby when the police took them in custody.

Meanwhile, Amandeep has been arrested as the staff of the fuel station have lodged a complaint of snatching.

ADCP Lakhbir Singh said the matter was in the knowledge of senior police officials. “A probe will be conducted and appropriate action will be taken. A case has been registered against the owner of the SUV in connection with the snatching case at the petrol pump. He has been arrested. The suspects were travelling in the vehicle used in the crime, so taken into custody.”