An Excise officer, along with his brother and three friends, was allegedly brutally thrashed by the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Mianwali Nagar police station and three other police personnel. Following which, all the four have been sent to district lines and an enquiry has been initiated. The incident came to the fore when a video of the assault surfaced online on late Saturday night.
SHO Gurnam Singh, ASI Bhupender Singh, Constable Naveen and Constable Ghanshyam have been sent to district lines, said police adding that it was ASI Bhupender who asked the families of the men to pay Rs 25,000 and let them free. These police personnel had held the Excise officer and his friends for disrupting harmony in a public place.
A senior police officer said, “The incident took place around 12.15 am on January 21 when Pankaj, Sachin and Akash, their cousin Amit, and their friends, Nitin Nayar, Deepak Garg and Rahul Jain were standing near a petrol pump. Pankaj is an inspector in the Excise Department, Sachin works with the I-T department.
As per the written complaint submitted by Pankaj’s father, “All the men were returning from a party when they were stopped by a patrolling team. The SHO arrived soon after. Police allegedly took them to the room and beat them.”
In the video, the SHO can be seen arriving in a private car and joining his subordinates, before the assault ensues. The enquiry is being conducted by an additional DCP-rank officer. As per the video, one of the men tries to flee and falls on the road. The SHO and his men are purportedly seen kicking him. Footage from the pump also shows the men being taken to a room. A few minutes later, the SHO leaves.
The senior police officer said the local police station received a call about a quarrel between some men, after which a team was sent to the spot. The incident was reported to the DCP (Outer) MN Tiwari.
As per the written complaint, Amit managed to escape and told them about the alleged assault. “Pankaj’s father, Mahavir Saini and his wife reached Mianwali police station, where the men had been taken. A sub-inspector told him they had created a ruckus and misbehaved with the SHO. He demanded money for their release,” the complaint alleged.
Police sources said the SHO and his subordinates took Rs 25,000 to release the men. They had asked for Rs 3 lakh but after negotiation, they fixed it to Rs 25,000 which was paid by Pankaj’s father.