Army colonel, son thrashed by Punjab Police over parking in Patiala; 12 cops suspended

CHANDIGARH: A serving army colonel and his son were allegedly assaulted by Punjab Police personnel in Patiala in the early hours of March 14 over a parking dispute. The officer sustained a fractured arm, while his son suffered head injuries. The incident was captured on CCTV footage from the area.

The Punjab Police has suspended 12 officials, including three inspectors, and ordered a departmental probe into the matter.

According to sources, Colonel Pushpinder Bath, currently posted at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi, claimed he and his son were attacked by policemen in Patiala on the night of March 13. Both are undergoing treatment at Rajindra Hospital. The alleged assault took place outside a roadside eatery near the hospital, where Bath and his son had stopped for refreshments.

Three police personnel in civilian clothes reportedly asked the Colonel to move his car so they could park their vehicle. When he objected to their tone, the officers allegedly began assaulting him and his son.

While police initially registered a case against unidentified individuals based on a statement from a dhaba owner, the colonel’s family has accused police officials of being responsible for the attack. However, one of the accused policemen claimed that it was the colonel and his son who initiated the altercation, alleging that they were intoxicated and attacked the officers.

Jaswinder Bath, wife of Col Pushpinder Bath, told the media that her husband and son were eating outside their car when police personnel approached them and asked them to move their vehicle. “When my husband objected to their tone, one of them punched him. Later, they assaulted both of them, leaving them injured,” she alleged.

She further claimed that her husband and son were beaten with baseball bats and sharp weapons, resulting in the colonel’s fractured arm and a deep cut on their son’s head. “Despite clear CCTV footage and our identification of the attackers, the police are acting in a biased manner,” she said, adding that the family was being pressured to compromise or face consequences.

Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nanak Singh confirmed that 12 police personnel, including inspectors Harry Boparai, Ronnie Singh, and Harjinder Dhillon, had been suspended. “We will conduct a thorough investigation, and justice will be served. No one will be spared,” he stated.

Meanwhile, senior army officials from Delhi have reportedly visited the hospital to assess the situation.