Court orders probe against I-T Dept officials

Judicial Magistrate Keshav Agnihotri directed the Station House Officer (SHO) of Police Station Division No.8, Ludhiana, to register an FIR against officials of the Income Tax Department.

The orders were passed following allegations of alleged trespass, breaking doors, intrusion and miscarriage of a woman following injury during the raid and assault at the residence of city-based Dr Sumeet Sofat, who resides on Hira Singh Road. The directions came on a complaint filed by Dr Sofat, who alleged that a group of I-T officials forcibly entered his house by scaling the main gate and breaking open the lobby and drawing-room doors. According to the complaint, the officials used torchlights on their mobile phones as they moved upstairs and damaged property in the process. He claimed to have CCTV footage and photographs showing the extent of the damage.

The complaint further alleges criminal trespass, manhandling, misuse of authority, violation of privacy, and forcible frisking of a woman by male officials. It was also alleged that the officials cloned and extracted data from personal electronic devices without authorisation and that the assault during the raid led to a miscarriage.

Dr Sofat stated that despite calling the police during the incident, no help arrived. The complaint narrates that the officials allegedly banged on the locked bedroom door, and when it was forced open, the door handle struck Gagandeep Kaur, his wife, in the stomach, causing her to collapse. The couple was then allegedly abused and assaulted.

While the police contended that an FIR had already been registered against Dr Sofat regarding the same incident, the court observed that this could not prevent an investigation into the allegations made by him. Magistrate Agnihotri said the police were duty-bound to investigate and may take suitable action based on evidence gathered during the probe.