ASI who shot at friend given forced retirement

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana January 16

Police Commissioner Rakesh Agrawal has given forced retirement to Assistant Sub-inspector Sukhpal Singh Sukha who shot at his woman friend at Sector 32, on Chandigarh Road, on Tuesday with his service revolver. The suspect is still at large.

Talking to The Tribune, Agrawal said as such a non-serious conduct couldn’t be tolerated in the Police Department, Sukhpal has been given forced retirement from police service.

“I took this harsh decision as the accused policeman had earlier also committed several acts of misconduct in the past. His salary and increment were stopped on many occasions as he had remained absent from job without informing the department. He was once nabbed gambling. He doesn’t deserve any mercy and cannot continue in police service,” said the CP.

Agrawal said Sukhpal should have been given forced retired when he was nabbed under the Gambling Act. Earlier, the accused was suspended after he shot at his woman friend with his service weapon while he was in uniform.

According to sources, last night when the local police officials were talking to Sukhpal over the phone, he said he was near Ladhowal and was going towards Jagraon, but he would not surrender now. He was reportedly convinced to surrender and present his side of story. Now, his phone is lying switched off. The police also contacted his family and asked them to force him to surrender or else he would be dismissed from service.

A call between the Division No. 7 SHO and the ASI had gone viral. The SHO is asking the ASI to surrender, but the latter didn’t listen to him.

Additional DCP IV Ajinder Singh said raids were being carried out at the suspected hideouts of the ASI and he would be nabbed soon.

The ADCP said during search of his room in Jamalpur, his service revolver, which was used to shoot the woman, was found lying beneath the bed.

Today, the victim woman’s family met the Police Commissioner and sough justice in the case. The family alleged that the ASI was well connected and he might exert political influence over the police.

25 cops dismissed from job last year

To inculcate discipline and sense of public service among police personnel, 25 police personnel were dismissed from service for indiscipline and their involvement in criminal activities last year. Further, three-month advance notices have been issued to 20 more employees for forced retirement.

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