Suicide by brothers in Jalandhar: Man seeks justice for sons

Tribune News Service

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, August 24

Exactly a week after brothers Manavjit Singh Dhillon and Jashanbir Singh Dhillon jumped into the Beas river following alleged harassment by cops from police station number 1 in Jalandhar, the 70-year-old father of the duo, Jatinder Pal Singh Dhillon, today addressed the media in Jalandhar seeking justice for his sons. He has also written to the state DGP, Chief Minister, Governor and Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking action against the SHO Navdeep Singh, lady constable Jagjit Kaur and ASI Balwinder Kumar of thana no. 1, Jalandhar.

While the bodies of the duo are yet to be found, an FIR too is yet to be registered in the case. No action against the SHO, allegedly charged with humiliating the two brothers, has been taken either.

Speaking to the press here today, Jatinder Pal Singh Dhillon alleged, “My two young sons are gone. We have been seeking justice for the past many days. My question is, aren’t officials taking the issue to the CM? Are they deaf? The DGP is a very honest man, can’t he ask the Commissioner of Police what the progress in the case is? The SHO should have been made ‘Line Hazir’ and an inquiry initiated against him by now. An inquiry regarding the CCTV footage should also have been conducted. But the police have failed to act. I seek justice for my sons.”

He added, “They died fighting for their turban. Manavjit was forced to take off his turban at the police station which his brother couldn’t bear. Before he jumped into the river, Jashanbir respectfully took off his own turban and placed it on the bridge.”

Jatinder Pal Singh also alleged that operations to rescue the duo were missing as far as the police was concerned and family and friends had employed teams of divers on their own to look for and rescue the duo.

Jashanbir and Manavjit had plunged into the Beas at the Goindwal bridge on last Thursday allegedly after Manavjit (elder of the two) was humiliated by thana no. 1 police in Jalandhar. His turban was taken off and he was kept in police custody (following a DDR filed against him). Manavjit had accompanied his friends to the police station concerning a domestic violence case alleged by his friend’s sister Parminder Kaur, against her husband Gurmeet Singh. Allegedly perturbed by Manvjit’s humiliation at the thana, Jashanbir had jumped into the Beas a day later, and Manavjit followed suit.

The complaint

The complaint sent to the Chief Minister by Jatinder Pal Singh Dhillon, alleges: “Harassed by the police officials”, Manavjit and Jashanbir Dhillon committed suicide by jumping from the bridge on Beas river in Kapurthala district on August 17, 2023. It accuses police officials of falsely implicating Manavjit in a DDR under Sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC. It also alleges that the police officials “used their power illegally and in a biased manner”, so “strict departmental inquiry may be conducted” against them.

It also alleges that the “working of all cameras” of police station no. 1 was “deliberately and intentionally damaged” to prevent the truth from getting out.

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