Saurabh Malik
Chandigarh, February 3
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rapped the Punjab Police for wanting the complainants to carry out the probe at their level in a kidnapping and murder case, instead of doing their job.
Justice Anoop Chitkara of the High Court asserted the stand showed that the allegations of the accused being a close aide of an MLA and an influential politician “may have some element of truth in them”.
DGP directed to transfer probe
The Punjab Director General of Police shall transfer the investigation to some competent and sensitive investigation wing within two weeks. —Justice Anoop Chitkara, High Court
The assertion came as Justice Chitkara ordered the Punjab Director General of Police to transfer the investigation to some competent and sensitive investigation wing. Taking up the petition filed against the State of Punjab and other respondents by Kulwant Singh, through counsel KB Raheja, Justice Chitkara observed a dejected father, whose young son — a Class VII student — was kidnapped and murdered way back in January 2018 was before the court seeking transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation, a specialised crime branch of the Punjab Police, or to any team after constituting a SIT under the court’s supervision.
“A perusal of the paragraph reveals that instead of doing their job, the investigator now wants the complainants to do the investigation at their level. If this is the state of affairs, what is the need to appoint the investigators? It shows that the petitioner’s allegations may have some element of truth in them. This court refrains from commenting further. Suffice it to say that the Director General of Police of the State of Punjab shall transfer the investigation to some competent and sensitive investigation wing within two weeks,” Justice Chitkara concluded.
Looking at the background of the matter, Justice Chitkara observed the petitioner’s son was kidnapped and subsequently murdered. His body was recovered from the bushes. The reason for the murder was allegedly ransom and subsequently concealment of evidence. In one of the paragraphs of the petition, it was alleged that the private respondents were close aides of an MLA.
Justice Chitkara also took a note of Raheja’s argument before the Bench that the boy was kidnapped for performing the “ritual of sacrifice”. The investigation was sketchy and biased. It was being influenced following pressure from the local minister.
Justice Chitkara asserted the limited prayer of the disillusioned father was for a just and fair investigation. Referring to a reply placed before the Bench, Justice Chitkara added the contents of a paragraph pricked the conscience of the court.
Police face HC ire for wanting complainant to turn investigator
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