Chandigarh, The wife of an Army Colonel broke down into tears on Friday, demanding justice for her husband and son, whom she alleged fell victim to an “unimaginable act of brutality” at the hands of some Punjab police officials.
Addressing a press conference in Patiala alongside her son and a relative, Jasvinder Kaur Bath accused twelve Punjab Police officials of thrashing her husband, Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath and their son over a parking dispute and demanded that the case be transferred to the CBI for an impartial investigation.
She submitted a representation to the Deputy Commissioner of Patiala, recounting the ordeal her family allegedly faced at the hands of the Punjab Police.
Bath has demanded the immediate registration of an FIR based on her husband’s complaint under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the naming of all 12 accused police officers in the FIR, and the immediate transfer of the accused officers out of Patiala.
She further alleged that the police had not named the 12 officers who have been suspended in the case.
The incident took place on the intervening night of March 13 and 14, when Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath and his son were at a roadside eatery near Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala.
The family claimed that when the two were standing outside their car and having food, some police officers in civilian clothes approached and asked the Colonel to move his vehicle so they could park theirs.
When the Colonel objected to their rude tone, one of the officers punched him, and soon all the police personnel began thrashing him and his son.
The Colonel’s arm was broken, and his son suffered a long cut on his head.
Bath further accused Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh of failing to take action in the matter.
“SSP Nanak Singh should also be posted out of Patiala for lack of cooperation, as the family requested him multiple times to register the FIR, but he kept giving false hopes, delaying the process of justice and causing untold harassment to the family,” she alleged.
SSP Patiala Nanak Singh could not be reached for comment when contacted by phone.
Bath said that the FIR was registered based on the statement of the dhaba owner, not on the statement of her husband, the victim.
“For seven days, I have been moving from pillar to post,” she said, frequently breaking down in tears as her voice choked with emotion.
“My husband is a uniformed person. We are part of the Army family,” she added. The Colonel is currently posted at Army Headquarters, New Delhi.
She displayed photos from the day of the alleged assault, showing her husband with injuries and her son bleeding from the face
She also claimed to have recorded a video call in which one police officer confessed to the assault.
Earlier on Thursday, the Colonel’s family had met with the Punjab Governor, seeking a CBI probe into the matter. The family also rejected the investigation by an executive magistrate ordered by the Punjab government on Thursday.
After meeting with the Governor, Bath said that Kataria told her it was their right for the FIR to be registered based on her husband’s statement.
She also claimed that the Governor had spoken to the State DGP when the family met him the previous day. “If my husband and my son are found guilty, they should be punished as well,” she said.
The Punjab Police suspended 12 officials on Monday and also initiated departmental inquiries against them in connection with the incident.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.