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Ludhiana: Two advocate brothers of Haibowal have accused the area police of wrongly booking them and torturing them in police custody in the early hours of Saturday. However, claiming that they had not beaten up the advocates, Haibowal police stated that five residents of Bachan Nagar were arrested as they had indulged in a spat with the cops.
The FIR has been lodged against a former sarpanch, Narinder Singh, two advocates, Sidharth Chandi and Mohit Chandi, Bhupinder Singh and Varinder Singh, all residents of Bachan Nagar, Haibowal.
On Sunday afternoon, several advocates gathered and decided to have a meeting on Monday. Besides, the bar council of the Punjab and Haryana high court tweeted to the Punjab Police and chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to look into the matter.
Advocate Shashank Kapur, a member of the Ludhiana Bar Association, said some residents of Bachan Nagar were fighting over an issue. Meanwhile, former sarpanch Narinder Singh reached there to pacify them and got injured. Narinder then called the police. ASI Sham Singh reached there and without listening to anyone slapped Narinder. The residents protested against the police, after which SHO inspector Jaskanwal Singh reached the spot and took the residents, who were initially fighting, into custody.
The SHO also asked Narinder Singh to get his medical examination done. Since advocates Sidharth and Mohit were close by, Narinder asked them to accompany him. Narinder got his medicolegal report after which SHO inspector Jaskanwal Singh asked him to come to the police station to record his statement.
“The trio reached the police station, where the SHO started misbehaving with them and also snatched their phones. The SHO took Mohit and Sidharth to the lock-up and brutally thrashed them. Then they roughed up Narinder. When three of them did not return home, the residents reached the police station, but cops did not allow them to come in. The residents staged a protest outside. All night, cops tortured the advocates and also lodged an FIR against them for manhandling ASI Sham Singh,” added Kapur.
By morning, the advocates were bailed out.
Additional deputy commissioner of police-III Sameer Verma said, “The accused, including advocates, Narinder Singh, Bhupinder Singh and Varinder Singh, had a fight with their neighbours. The accused locked them in their house and also vandalised their property. When the police reached there and released the residents, the accused manhandled ASI Sham Singh, after which the FIR was lodged.” On asking about the visible injury marks on advocates’ bodies, ADCP Verma said, “They had indulged in a fight with the other residents and those injury marks are of it. They were not tortured in police custody.”
The FIR has been lodged under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing a public servant in discharge of public functions), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 34 (act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC.