CBI registers 2 separate FIRs in Col Pushpinder Bath assault case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered two separate FIRs in the Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath assault case.

The Army Colonel and his son were allegedly assaulted outside an eatery in Punjab’s Patiala earlier this year.

The FIRs—one from Colonel Bath side and other from Dhaba owner—were lodged under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which also include charges under attempted murder.

According to officials, the agency took over the case following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court who had transferred the probe from the Chandigarh Police after it found loopholes in their investigation. A Special Crime unit will probe the incident now.

Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath and his son Angad were allegedly assaulted by 12 policemen during a parking dispute near a roadside eatery close to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala. The Colonel suffered a fractured arm, while his son sustained a serious head injury.

The FIR in the matter was registered only on March 22, though another FIR, dated March 15, was already lodged at the behest of a dhaba owner, allegedly to favour the police personnel involved.

The family has maintained that the attackers, who were allegedly inebriated, used excessive violence and later tried to intimidate them into withdrawing the case.

The case was initially probed by the Punjab Police, and later a Special Investigation Team was tasked to complete the probe within four months. However, due to dissatisfaction with the Chandigarh Police SIT’s slow progress and perceived bias, the High Court transferred the case to the CBI on July 16.