Amritsar, September 21
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Detective) Rajinder Pal hurled abusive language and thrashed senior Indian Revenue Officer of the 1988 batch Ravi Sarangal, Additional Commissioner, Income Tax, on Lawrence Road here late last evening. The IRS officer described the incident as “nightmarish experience” that lasted till midnight.
The DSP is allegedly on bail in connection with a custodial death at the Bhikhiwind police station.
They entered into a verbal duel when their vehicles collided at Lawrence Chowk.
The DSP, while admitting that the verbal duel took place between them, denied he manhandled or thrashed the IRS officer. He claimed that after the incident he got himself medically checked up and it had been “confirmed” in the report that he was not under the influence of liquor, as alleged by the IRS officer.
Mr S.S. Srivastava, district police chief, said he had not received any formal complaint by the IRS officer yet. He, however, said action would be taken after a proper investigation. Mr Srivastva said the inquiry could be held on return of the DSP who was out of station in connection with some court evidence.
In a letter to the Director-General of Police, Punjab, Mr Sarangal urged him to take strict action against the erring DSP. According to the sources in the DGP office, the complainant alleged had that he had never faced such humiliation that he underwent for two
and a half hours (from 10.15 pm to 12.45 pm). He alleged that the police officials on duty did not take action against Mr Rajinder Pal since he had been posted as DSP (D) in Amritsar.
“Shockingly, Inspector Jagjit Singh Walia acted like a ‘pyada’ instead of taking action against his senior.”
The sources in the DGP office said a high-level inquiry was being marked to a senior police officer. The complainant had alleged that the Inspector tried to pressure him not to complain to any senior officer about the incident.
In his complaint, Mr Sarangal, brother of a senior IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, has alleged that he was on his way to his official accommodation on Lawrence Road when a car hit his vehicle from the rear side. The driver (DSP himself) stopped the car after hitting his vehicle and started abusing him without any provocation.
The complainant has alleged that the DSP caught hold of him by his shirt and started thrashing him in full public view. “The DSP started beating me as if I was a criminal, carrying award on my head. Later, I came to know that he was Mr Rajinder Pal posted as DSP (D).
“Since I have been holding very senior posts, including my posting for 12 years in Mumbai, and remained a law abiding citizen throughout my life, I could not think of losing my temper”, Mr Sarangal has said, alleging that the DSP was under the influence of liquor.
He has alleged that Inspector Jagjit Singh Walia, also compelled me to undergo a medical check up, along with the DSP, though I had never tasted liquor in my life .
A Sub-Inspector and an ASI went to the hospital for getting both of us medically checked up. They allegedly managed to get “clean chit” for the DSP.
He urged the DGP to depute some senior officer to probe the matter otherwise a junior officer could be influenced by the DSP. He said if being a senior officer he failed to get justice then the fate of a common man could be imagined.
