Kin held in ‘false’ NDPS cases, families join stir

Ludhiana: On a day when advocates took to roads against Ludhiana STF in-charge Inspector Harbans Singh, many families who had claimed that their relatives had been falsely implicated in drug peddling cases joined the protest near the Mini Secretariat on Thursday.
In a video that has gone viral on the social media, Harpreet Kaur of Manakwal accused the STF in-charge of falsely implicating her husband Kapil Dev in NDPS case by showing a recovery of 1kg heroin two years ago. She also alleged that the inspector along with his team had barged into her house, thrashed her and took away the cash and gold jewellery.
She alleged that the cop had demanded bribe to release her husband and had released Kapil’s friend Vicky, who was also detained, after taking money.
Harpreet had filed a writ petition in Punjab and Haryana high court against the STF action.
In a similar case, Paramjit Kaur of Lakkar Bazaar, who joined the protest by advocates, said, “In September, my son Harsimran who had gone to watch a movie was arrested in a 2.5-kg heroin seizure case. While the STF had claimed that Harsimran had gone to Tarn Taran to procure heroin, we had got his footage of watching a movie on that day. I have joined this protest to get justice for my son and seek punishment for the inspector who has ruined life of my son.”
Joining the protest, Rekha of Tibba Road said, “The STF in-charge arrested my husband Shamsher Singh, who was suffering from depression as he was unemployed, and took away Rs 5 lakh cash, which we had for the registry of our house, and some gold jewellery from our house.”
“When I reached his office, the cop told me that my husband had smuggled 2.5kg heroin from Delhi. My husband was not even mentally fit to do such things. The cop also did not return the cash or jewelry and lodged my husband in the jail. We don’t even have enough money to fight the case, but we have approached high court in the matter.”