10 yrs on, dept inquiry begins against SHO

The police have started a regular departmental inquiry (RDA) against Inspector Poonam Dilawari of Chandigarh Police in the 10-year-old advocate Sukhmanpreet Singh Siddhu, alias Sippy Sidhu, murder case.

Dilawri was the SHO of the Sector 26 police station when Sippy Sidhu was murdered. The inquiry has been started five years after the CBI, in its report submitted in the court, pointed out alleged lapses in the initial stage of investigation.

Vijay Singh, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDOP) - cum- inquiry officer, has issued notices to Deepinder Kaur (mother) and Jasmanpreet Singh Sidhu (brother) of deceased Sippy Sidhu to join the investigation on August 23.

In the notices, the inquiry officer has stated, “A Regular Departmental Enquiry under Punjab Police Rules 16.24 initiated against Inspector Poonam Dilawari vide order dated May 11, 2023, and January 3, 2025. You are hereby requested to attend the office of the undersigned on August 23 at 11 am, at the premises of the Manimajra police station, Chandigarh.”

Sippy Sidhu was shot dead in a park of Sector 27 here on the night of September 20, 2015.

Initially, the police investigated the case. It was handed over to the CBI in 2016. After six years of investigation, the CBI also failed to find the culprits and filed an untrace report in December 2020, with the request to allow further investigation. However, the court did not accept the untrace report and asked the CBI to further probe the case. After re-investigation the matter, the CBI arrested Kalyani Singh on June 15, 2022, on the allegation that she murdered Sippy Sidhu.

Meanwhile, Jasmanpreet Singh said in the untrace report filed before the court on December 7, 2020, the CBI had mentioned that certain lapses had been found on the part of Dilawari and others leading to the destruction of the evidence. For lapses at the initial stages of investigation (which seriously handicapped the progress of probe), an RDA for major penalty against Dilawari, then SHO of Sector 26 police station, was recommended. Although it’s late, but he appreciated this fact that finally, a departmental inquiry has been initiated against the officer, said Sippy’s brother.