3 Panchkula cops suspended for thrashing lawyer

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, September 12

Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohit Handa today placed under suspension three policemen for alleged “misconduct and negligence in duty” after they allegedly misbehaved and beat up a Punjab and Haryana High Court lawyer in police custody.

The suspended policemen have been identified as exemptee Head Constable (EHC) Virender Singh, Constable Dilbag Singh and Constable Iqbal Khan.

The lawyer, Deepak Aggarwal, alleged that the policemen took him into illegal custody while he asked them to take action against his neighbour, who had parked a scooter at his parking spot outside his house in Sector 4.

The policemen had reached the spot after receiving a “Dial 112” complaint from the lawyer over the parking issue. Handa also ordered a departmental inquiry against two policemen, including the Sector 2 police post in-charge, “for not reaching the spot of occurrence”. ACP Raj Kumar will lead the investigation.

An FIR filed against the lawyer at the Sector 5 police station for allegedly thrashing a constable and tearing his uniform was also cancelled, confirmed senior police officials.

The FIR had been registered against the lawyer under Sections 186 (obstructing a public servant in the discharge of public functions), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty) at the Sector 5 police station.

ACP Vijay Kumar Nehra said they had received a formal complaint from the lawyer and appropriate action would be taken against the erring policemen after verification of facts.

A free and fair investigation would be conducted into the matter, he stated.

Constable Dilbagh Singh, one of the policemen who was placed under suspension, had alleged that the lawyer misbehaved with him, assaulted him and tore his uniform in a drunken state while he was being taken to a police station in a police vehicle.

A medical examination of the suspect was conducted at the Civil Hospital in Sector 6, said the police.

Chanchal K Singla, honorary secretary, Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association, issued a statement after the incident, condemning the police behaviour against the lawyer.

“Our member Deepak Aggarwal was illegally taken into custody when he was writing a complaint against a wrongdoer while sitting in his office. He had called the police by dailling police helpline 112. The police officials suddenly picked our member, manhandled him, beat him up and thereafter lodged a false and fabricated FIR by alleging that our member obstructed a police official from performing his duty,” the statement read.

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