Police to tighten noose on bars

Nikhil Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, September 14

Despite repeated orders of the Police Commissioner that no liquor bars or restaurants will remain open after 11 pm, bar owners are hardly paying any heed to the closure timings. The Friday night incident at Castle’s Barbeque in Pavilion Mall, where Congress leader and developer Manjit Singh of GTB Nagar was shot dead by a man with his licensed weapon, has exposed security lapses at malls and multiplexes where people carry weapons without stringent checks.

Recently, the police had conducted several raids at bars which were found open after 11 pm and registered FIRs against the owners and staff member under section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC. Under this section, maximum imprisonment is six months and Rs 1,000 fine. As offence under this section is bailable, bar owners facing more than one FIR continue to violate the law.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested Jaswinder Singh Bindi who shot dead Manjit with his .32-bore revolver.

When asked why the police did not take strict action against the bar owners to prevent such incidents, the Additional DCP (Investigation) Dayama Harish Kumar Omparkash said as per law, a case under section 188 IPC was registered if a bar was found open or serving liquor after 11 pm, but the police had the right to recommend cancellation of a bar licence. ”The police can even recommend licence cancellation even if a bar owner is facing one FIR or more. To teach a lesson to such offenders, the police will definitely take stringent action like this in future so that such incidents can be prevented,” said the ADCP.

‘Hang the killer who shot my husband in front of my eyes’

• Randeep Kaur, wife of the deceased Manjit Singh, who was shot dead at Pavilion Mall by Jaswinder Singh Bindi on Friday night, has demanded capital punishment for the killer.
• An inconsolable Randeep said: “Around 12.15 am on Friday night when me and my husband were about to leave Castle’s Barbeque, he suddenly went towards the bar. When I asked him where he was going, he only said he would come back in two minutes. But he never came back. He has left behind me and my children. The killer should be hanged till death. He has no right to live as he has destroyed our life.”
• She said: “When my husband went to the bar, my friend told me that he was involved in an altercation. I saw Jaswinder brandishing a weapon but my husband could not notice it. I also tried to caution my husband, but before he could understand, Jaswinder shot him and he fell down. The accused fled the scene after the incident”.