New Delhi: The Congress party on Saturday called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the recent assault on Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath and his son. The party also urged the union home and defence ministries to implement special measures for the protection of soldiers and their families.
“The policemen were seen kicking Col Bath and even threatened to encounter him before leaving. Can 10-12 police personnel threaten Army soldiers who protect the borders, risking their lives?” Colonel (Retd) Rohit Chaudhry, chief of the party’s ex-servicemen department, said while addressing the press at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi. He said the attack an act of “thuggery” and insisted on strict action against the accused.
Also Read: Assault on colonel: Family says being pressurised to reach compromise
Congress spokesperson Alok Sharma accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government of turning the state into a “police state” and alleged that “Colonel Bath’s medical treatment was deliberately delayed to downplay their severity and avoid invoking Section 307 of the IPC (attempt to commit murder).”
“The situation is so alarming that security had to be provided to the affected family following the Governor’s intervention. Protection against whom? Against uniformed thugs of Punjab Police, not gangsters,” Sharma added.
On the intervening night of March 13 and 14, Colonel Bath and his son were at a roadside eatery near Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala. The family alleged 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.
Also Read: Attack on Colonel: Punjab Police file fresh FIR after outrage, name cops
The family of Colonel Bath on Wednesday alleged that they are being pressurised to strike a compromise with the erring cops who assaulted the army officer and his son. “Initially, it was Patiala police that made every possible effort to strike a compromise. First, Patiala DSP asked us to strike a compromise. Then SSP Patiala called and said a compromise was the only solution to such a problem. They (the cops) then threatened us by saying: You have to stay in Patiala, and we are here too. When all this didn’t work, all four inspectors apologised to us, claiming that the incident happened under the influence of alcohol,” colonel’s wife Jasvinder Kaur Bath said.
Jasvinder further accused Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nanak Singh of “registering an FIR based on the dhaba owner’s statement rather than the victim’s.”
Punjab Police on Friday registered a fresh FIR based on the statement of an army colonel, who accused 12 police officials of thrashing him and his son.
The Congress leader questioned discrepancies in the FIR filed. “Media reports confirm that 12 officers were suspended, so why does the FIR only name four?” Sharma asked. Sharma blamed Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, holding his government “directly responsible” for the attack.
Also Read: Colonel Bath’s family, army veterans stage protest, demand arrest of accused cops
Colonel (Retd) Chaudhry highlighted a series of assaults on Army personnel and their families in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and AAP-ruled states.
“On May 4, 2023, the wife of a Kargil war veteran was paraded naked in Manipur. On August 11, 2024, a para-commando, part of the surgical strike team, was brutally assaulted in a Jaipur police station. On September 10, 2024, young officers were beaten in Mhow, while two women were abducted and raped, allegedly involving police personnel. These incidents highlight a worrying trend of rising attacks on Army officials and their families. We demand chief of army staff Upendra Dwivedi raise this issue with President and Commander-in-Chief Droupadi Murmu to ensure immediate action,” Chaudhry said.
Congress urged the central government to establish an Ex-Servicemen Commission at both state and national levels to prevent such incidents in the future. Additionally, it demanded the implementation of a Covenant Act, similar to laws in the United States (US), Canada and the United Kingdom, ensuring legal protections for military personnel and veterans.