Colonel Bath, family meet Rajnath in Delhi

Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath and his family members on Sunday met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi seeking a CBI probe into the assault on the Army officer and his son while accusing the Punjab Police of trying save the accused cops.

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The development has come a day ahead of the family’s scheduled meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The alleged incident had taken place on March 13 night in Patiala, where Colonel Bath and his son were allegedly assaulted by 12 police personnel over a parking dispute.

The issue snowballed into a major row, with the victims getting the backing of politicians and several social orgnaisations as the state police delayed registering an FIR on the Colonel’s statement.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court also rapped the state police for the delay in lodging the case.

A three-member special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the state police has also been rejected by the family citing apprehensions about a fair probe.

According to sources, the family told Rajnath that they “do not trust the Punjab Police” and pressed for a probe by the central investigation agency. The meeting lasted close to 25 minutes.

“We have been assured full support and all possible help to fight for justice by the defence minister,” said Colonel Bath’s wife Jaswinder Kaur taking to The Tribune over the phone from New Delhi. She said they told Rajnath as to how the Patiala police “continue to harass” her family. “Instead of ensuring justice, they are busy saving their erring policemen. The Punjab Government has replaced the SIT head while the Patiala police have changed the two security officials attached with us twice in the past a few days,” she said.

She said a probe by an independent investigating agency is the need of the hour.

“The Punjab Government should transfer the probe to the CBI as we have no faith in the SIT, which comprises state police officers,” Jaswinder Kaur said.

“We will meet Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tomorrow and see what he says. I hope he orders a CBI probe and does not stand by guilty officers,” she added.

Patiala BJP leader and a relative of the Colonel, Gurtej Singh Dhillon, said the defence minister assured them that they are “closely monitoring” the case.

Dhillon had accompanied the family for the meeting.