Accused threaten student in court

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 20

Showcasing the daredevilry of the accused arrested in the extortion case of school students, two accused in the case today threatened one of the students, who was leaving the court after his cross-examination by the defence counsel was completed. The accused, even though they were in the custody of the police and the trial was on at that time, took an opportunity to hurl abuses at and threaten one of the students.

Moreover, one of accused’s friends also abused the students outside the court.

Scared, the students brought the matter to the notice of the public prosecutor, who then informed the Judge, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate KK Jain.

It all started when Rattan Lubana and Amitoj Singh, two of the three accused in the case, abused one of the students of St John's High School as he was leaving the court.

After the matter was brought to the notice of the Judge, he asked the accused if the same was true. The accused vehemently denied having said anything to the student. The Judge then took the student’s complaint on record and remarked that if this was the state of affairs with the accused while they were in custody, what would happen if they were outside?

The court had twice rejected the bail application of prime accused Rattan Lubana in the case.

The father of one of the students said this was not the first time that the accused were threatening their wards. Their children were now scared to venture out of their homes due to the terror of the accused.

His son was earlier allegedly followed from a relative's place in Sector 34 to Sector 21. The witness had stopped at a Verka booth and was threatened by three persons, who came in a jeep.

The statement of the only witness from Strawberry Fields School was also recorded.

All students of St John’s High School have corroborated the prosecution theory and identified the accused in the court. They have told the court they were being taken to various "hookah bars" in the city and also to posh city clubs by the accused. They were also threatened with a gun, abused and forced to shell out more and more money by the accused last year. The UT Police Operations Cell had arrested all three accused in January this year.

One of the students had also narrated to the court that he was a witness to an incident of eve-teasing by the accused at a bar in Elante Mall when the victim girls quietly whisked away.

The case

In January this year, the Operations Cell of the UT police had arrested three accused — Rattan Lubana (22), ABVP chairman at DAV College, Sector 10, and son of a BJP leader; Amitoz Singh(26), whose late father was a sub-inspector in the Punjab Police; and Rajveer Singh (24), son of a UT constable — who flaunted their "connections" and guns to cultivate "clients" among teenagers, who paid them thousands of rupees, besides funding their booze and parties. The police had received a complaint from the Principal of St John's High School as its students were being vicitmised.