Man climbs 70‑ft pole in Moga, forces brother’s release from ‘illegal’ police custody

In an incident on Sunday along the Kotkapura‑bypass road in Moga, police released a theft suspect who had been held for five days in what was deemed ‘illegal’ custody. The suspect was released after his elder brother climbed a 70‑foot electric pole and vowed not to descend until his sibling was freed.

The protest began when Sukhwinder Singh scaled a 66 kV high-voltage transmission pole, demanding justice for his younger brother, Babaljit Singh, who had been in police custody since August 5 in connection with a house theft. Family members alleged that Babaljit had no involvement in the crime, as he was not visible in any CCTV footage, and had been illegally detained and assaulted by the police. They also accused officers of colluding with the complainants to extort money.

Despite having already complained to the SSP, no action was taken, prompting Sukhwinder’s protest. After nearly two hours, police resleased Babaljit, recorded his statement, and persuaded Sukhwinder to climb down.

DSP Gurpreet Singh confirmed that Babaljit was released after his statement was taken, but assured that “whoever is found guilty during the investigation will be dealt with according to law.” He denied his illegal detention for the last five days. He was just rounded up for questioning, there was no arrest, claimed the police.

However, the sequence of events has raised questions over why police bypassed normal legal procedures and succumbed to public pressure instead of following due process.