Col Bath assault case: Army officer, family meet Rajnath Singh to seek justice

Two days after the Punjab and Haryana High Court questioned the state government over delay in registering an FIR in the Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath assault case, the Army officer and his family met with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday to discuss the developments in the case.

The family was informed about the meeting two days ago, and it was scheduled for Sunday. A former officer was tasked with notifying the family about the meeting.

After the meeting, Jaswinder Kaur, Col Bath's wife, reiterated her stance, emphasising that she does not trust the Patiala police and calling for the case to be investigated by an independent agency.

“We will meet Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tomorrow and see what he says. We have informed Rajnath Singh about the harassment we have faced,” she said.

In addition to the Bath couple, their relative and BJP leader from Patiala, Gurtej Singh Dhillon, accompanied the family to the meeting, which lasted approximately 25 minutes.

Dhillon said the Defence Minister has assured the family that they are closely monitoring the case. “He has assured us that the Army will stand by the officer and ensure justice for Col Bath and his family,” he told the Tribune.

On Friday, Punjab’s attempt to justify the delay in FIR registration in the assault case by citing farmers’ protests—among other reasons—backfired in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The Bench questioned the police about the number of FIRs registered across Patiala district during the period.

The Bench asked the State to categorically explain whether the action taken so far was sufficient.

“You are not obliging anyone by placing the cops under suspension,” the Bench had asserted.

In his detailed order, Justice Sandeep Moudgil also asked the State to file an affidavit specifying: “How many FIRs were registered in Patiala district during the period when the district police was on high alert on account of farmers’ protests at Khanauri border and Shambhu border of Patiala from March 18 to 23?