Honeypreet in lock-up, routine work takes back seat at this police station

At Chandimandir police station on Monday. Express

TILL A week ago, Chandimandir police station of Panchkula district, which has the largest area jurisdiction among nine police stations, was abuzz with activity as complaints kept pouring in. These days, however, the police station has a different distinction: a high-profile inmate, Honeypreet, adopted daughter of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, is lodged at the police station’s lock-up. Her aide Sukhdeep Kaur, a Bathinda resident with whom she was arrested from Zirakpur-Patiala highway stretch on October 3, is also locked at the same police station. As a result, the routine functioning of the police station has shifted to a make-shift room outside the main building.

For the last six days, a Special Investigation Team, led by an IGP-rank officer, has been regularly interrogating both Honeypreet and Sukhdeep Kaur at the police station that has turned into a fortress. Honeypreet faces a sedition charge. Her police custody ends on Tuesday when she will be produced in a local court.

During the last six days, the routine work at the police station – registering complaints, attending to people with grievances and registering cases — has taken a back seat. Entire attention has been diverted to Honeypreet’s custody.
An 8ft x10 ft makeshift room constructed with a prefabricated structure outside the main building of the police station has been designated as “Duty Room”. People with any complaints are being heard in this room only. During the morning hours, a woman Assistant Sub-Inspector is incharge of this Duty Room and a male ASI or Sub-Inspector takes charge during night hours. An Inspector rank officer, Lalit Kumar, is the Station House Officer of the police station.

The two main entry-exit points of the police station are guarded by armed sentries. Entry is totally restricted inside the main building of the police station. The number of security personnel guarding the police station’s perimeter wall has been increased.

In the last five days, the police station has registered only two criminal cases – one last night on charges of assault, wrongful confinement and under provisions of the Arms Act, and another on charges of assault a few days ago. A dozen-odd daily diary register entries have been made regarding informations/complaints received at the police station. The number, sources told Chandigarh Newsline, used to be higher on average before last week.

A man from nearby Nada village said, “A few days ago, I had filed a complaint at police headquarters against half a dozen people for threatening me at my house. The complaint was forwarded to Chandimandir police station and today I received a call from a woman police officer. As I reached the police station and tried to go inside the premises, two constables stopped me and directed me towards the temporary shed. An FIR on my complaint is yet to be lodged.”

A large number of electronic media is also stationed outside the police station to keep tabs on developments in Honeypreet’s interrogation. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Panchkula) Manbir Singh confirmed that the inside portion of Chandimandir police station is “out of bounds for general public”. However, he added that “the routine proceedings including acceptance of complaints of general public are going on. Our one duty officer is regularly attending to the complaints in a specially designated room”.

Both Honeypreet and Sukhdeep Kaur are lodged in two different lock-ups inside the police station. The food that is being given to them is first tasted by police officials. Police sources said during her six-day interrogation, Honeypreet has not revealed much. “We are going to request the court to grant a few more days of her custody to us. We need to question her more regarding her involvement in the violence that erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa on August 25,” a senior police officer said.