Ropar, April 17
Owing to the pressure from the villagers of Bass, the Senior Superintendent of Police at Ropar, Mr
G.P.S. Bhullar, today ordered the transfer of the SHO of the Nangal police station, Mr Bhupinder Singh. Mr Varinder Deep Singh has, now, been appointed the Nangal
SHO.
Besides the octogenarian couple of Bass, Raja Ram and Parkasho
Devi, the police today picked up Subash Chander and Shiv Kumar, who had come to the village to visit their in-laws, for questioning and let them off at about 11 am. Subash and Shiv alleged that they had been beaten up and
humiliated by the police for no fault.
The SSP said the SHO had been transferred on the basis of a preliminary investigation report submitted by the Deputy Superintendent of Police at Anandpur Sahib, Mr Varinder
Brar. The DSP, in his report, had recommended the transfer of the SHO in view of the serious allegations levelled by villagers against him and the
magisterial inquiry ordered by the Deputy Commissioner in the case. The SSP said the SHO’s transfer would ensure an impartial
magisterial inquiry into the incident of beating up of an octogenarian couple.
The transfer has also pacified the villagers of Bass, who had been demanding action against the
SHO. Yesterday, they had expressed dissatisfaction at mere suspension for some constables for beating up the villagers. The Sarpanch of the village, Mr Ram Kumar Devedi, had said that villagers, in their complaint submitted to the DSP Anandpur Sahib, had named the police officials
responsible for the incident, but no action had been recommended against them.
“If the police failed to take action against its guilty officials, villagers would again gherao the police station. They are also planning to take up the case with the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, on his visit to the area on April 25,” the Sarpanch said.
Meanwhile, the Anandpur Sahib Subdivisional Magistrate started the magisterial inquiry into the incident today and met the affected villagers of Bass to record their statement. He told this reporter that the inquiry report would soon be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner.
The Nangal police early on Tuesday had raided and thrashed 82-year-old Raja Ram and his 80-year-old wife, Parkasho
Devi, at Bass near Nangal.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) would take up the case of the thrashing of the Bass villagers by the police with the Human Rights Commission, Mr Bagh Singh, district president of the party, who along with his partymen visited the affected villagers today, told newsmen at
Nangal.
Mr Bagh Singh said the visit was on the directions of Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, party president. He said the villagers had told him that they were not satisfied with the action taken against the police officials.
If the magisterial inquiry fails to nail the guilty, the SAD (Amritsar) would fight the case.
