Inquiry holds inspector guilty of negligence

FARIDKOT: About six months after the ‘suspicious’ death of a DSP and his gunman at Jaito, a magisterial probe has held an inspector of the Faridkot police guilty of misconduct, negligence and not complying with the Supreme Court directions while arresting a woman.

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 10

About six months after the ‘suspicious’ death of a DSP and his gunman at Jaito, a magisterial probe has held an inspector of the Faridkot police guilty of misconduct, negligence and not complying with the Supreme Court directions while arresting a woman.

In his inquiry report submitted to the Faridkot Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner (General) Jagdish Singh Johal said controversial inspector Gurmeet Singh pushed Baljinder Singh Sandhu, the deceased DSP, in an embarrassing situation, causing the DSP’s and his gunman’s death.

Arresting a girl student, putting her in lock up with two other students, thrashing them and then his inability to control the situation when the students were protesting against his unlawful behaviour, it all sumps up the incompetence of the guilty inspector, Gurmeet Singh, the Jaito SHO at that time, revealed the probe.

Earlier, holding Gurmeet Singh prima facie guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty, the Faridkot SSP had demanded from the District Magistrate-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, to start a departmental magisterial inquiry against the inspector.

A prima facie investigation has proved the inspector guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty in maintaining law and order and tranquility in Jaito town, which resulted into the death of a DSP and a constable, the SSP had written to the Deputy Commissioner.

The Deputy Commissioner had further entrusted the inquiry to Assistant Commissioner Jagdish Singh Johal.

Johal said the inquiry report was submitted after recording the statements of the accused inspector and others, including the victim students and farmers.

Keeping in view the public interest, the inspector should be proceeded against departmentally by holding a magisterial inquiry under Rule 16.38 (1) of the Punjab Police Rules, the SSP had demanded in his letter.

Inspector Gurmeet Singh is known for courting controversies and he had faced as many as four criminal cases during the past 10 years.

It is alleged that after torturing the students, the SHO tried to silence the protesting voice by pressing a group of local hoodlums to oppose the protesting students, pushing the DSP to a situation he had not experience to deal with.