Shahkot bypoll: SHO who booked Congess candidate arrested from Jalandhar court

Inspector Parminder Singh Bajwa, the station house officer (SHO) who made headlines when he registered a case of illegal mining against the Shahkot assembly bypoll candidate of Punjab’s ruling party Congress, was arrested from the court complex here on Friday morning for carrying his revolver inside and allegedly assaulting a government servant. He was sent in judicial custody till May 25 later.

Bajwa, while being taken away, said he was there to seek security to be able to go to the high court in Chandigarh, “to get back my security cover that has been withdrawn by the local police”. Later in the day, he was also replaced as the SHO of Mehatpur in the segment by the Election Commission over complaints of bias and violation of the code of conduct in filing of the FIR against the Congress nominee, Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia.

Scene at the court

High drama was witnessed after Bajwa, along with his lawyer, reached the court carrying his licensed revolver. He was asked to keep it outside by a security official, assistant sub-inspector Sukhwinder Pal Singh, but Bajwa pushed him out of the way and entered the court of district and sessions judge SK Garg, according to the FIR got registered by the ASI. “When we chased Bajwa, Basti Bawa Khel SHO Sukhwinder Singh, who was already present in the court for some other case, recovered the weapon from Bajwa,” the ASI said. A team of officers of the police commissionerate, led by deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Gurmeet Singh, and another team from the area station then rushed to the court and took away Bajwa.

“I have a threat from the police and administrative department,” Bajwa said while being taken away. He claimed he took the revolver inside “by mistake” and, upon realising it, “gave it” to the other SHO. He refuted the charge that he assaulted or shoved anyone aside.

The FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 186 and 353 (both relating to assaulting or obstructing public servant from duty) and under the Arms Act, at Navi Baradari police station. He was presented before the area magistrate, Rahul Kumar, who sent him to judicial custody till May 25, said Praveen Sinha, the commissioner of police.

Changed appearance

Curiously, Bajwa, who entered the court in shorts and T-shirt, had changed his appearance, having cut his beard. A resident of adjoining Kapurthala, he had also booked a room in a hotel right opposite the courts at 1am on Friday, police official probing the matter said.

Inspector Parminder Singh Bajwa

Before his arrest, he said, “I have got information that the local police will detain me. Even two of my DSP friends and two inspectors were keeping vigil on me at my house in Kapurthala from where I somehow escaped and came to the court.”

Where it began

He said he only did his duty by registering the FIR against the Congress candidate. “I am now feeling threatened from both the district administration and the police.” Bajwa had registered the FIR against Ladi on May 4, less than 24 hours after Ladi was declared the Congress candidate for the bypoll scheduled for May 28.

He later sent a resignation letter to the Jalandhar Rural SSP, under whose jurisdiction Mehatpur falls, citing “pressure from the government”; but later withdrew it. He then held a press conference in which he countered allegations of his “immoral” behaviour by raising questions over the personal life of the chief minister.