Brothers’ suicide: Week after incident, thana 1 SHO Navdeep Singh transferred to Police Lines

Aparna Banerji

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Jalandhar, August 25

The police station Division No. 1 SHO, Navdeep Singh, has been transferred to the Police Lines amidst an ongoing inquiry against him in case of alleged harassment of Dhillon brothers.

The action comes a week after brothers Manavjit Singh and Jashanbir Singh jumped into the Beas river from the Goindwal bridge following alleged harassment and humiliation of Manavjit by the SHO. The brothers’ father Jatinder Pal Singh Dhillon had written to the state DGP, CM, Governor, Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court and Chairman of the Human Rights Commission yesterday, seeking justice.

Kuldeep Chahal, Commissioner of Police (CP), Jalandhar, confirmed that the SHO had been ‘line hazir’ (was transferred to the Police Lines). He said, “No other action has been initiated against the SHO yet.”

Notably, the family of the brothers has been demanding action against the SHO and two other officials — a women constable Jagjit Kaur and ASI Balwinder Kumar — of the Division No. 1 police station.

In a complaint sent to the DGP by the brothers’ 70-year-old father Jatinder Pal Singh Dhillon yesterday, he alleged that “harassed by the police officials”, Manavjit and Jashanbir Dhillon committed suicide by jumping from bridge into the Beas river in Kapurthala district on August 17.

He accused police officials of falsely implicating Manavjit in a DDR under Sections 107 and 151, CrPC. He also alleged that the police officials “used their power illegally and in a biased manner” so “strict departmental enquiry may be conducted” conducted against them.

Meanwhile, the Kapurthala police confirmed that no FIR had been filed against the SHO as yet. The original police complaint in the case had been made at the Talwandi Chaudhrian police station in Kapurthala. The brothers’ bodies have also not been found.