Probe fails to make headway in Nalagarh rioting, intimidation case
The working of the Baddi police has come under the scanner with little action having been taken against the accused in a case of rioting and criminal intimidation five days after registration of an FIR.
The police were yet to probe serious allegations where a youth had alleged that armed miscreants had attempted to attack him at Nalagarh on last Thursday. The police made preventive arrest of the five accused yesterday in a separate case registered at another police station at Manpura while maintaining that probe was underway in the first case.
Officials desisted talking to the media over the case.
Not only have allegation of the police shielding the accused come to fore in several cases but the high court has raised questions over the role of the police in two serious cases involving a gang rape and torture during custodial interrogation.
Inspector General of Police State CID is enquiring into the role of various officials of Nalagarh police from the level of Sub Divisional Police Officer and below amidst allegations of the police having shielded some accused in a gang rape case following high court orders of September 11.
The court observed in its findings that this was not the solitary occasion when the Nalagarh police was found complacent in discharge of their duties as many officers were found accused of indulging in custodial torture.
As many as four of them were arrested after their bail was cancelled by the high court in August while two others, DSP Lakhbir and a constable Sunil, continue to evade arrest. Sunil has been suspended after remaining absent from duty for several days while trying to evade arrest.
“A recommendation to suspend the erring DSP was sent by SP Baddi to the state government recently and his salary too has been put on hold. He had earlier proceeded on leave in a bid to evade arrest,” informed an official of the state CID which was probing the case.
Even Nalagarh MLA Hardeep Bawa has blamed the police for inept handling of the recent dispute, which flared up between two communities and threatened the peace of the area.
