The Punjab and Haryana High Court has given the Punjab government two days to explain the delay in registering an FIR concerning the assault of an Army officer. Justice Sandeep Moudgil also issued a notice to both the CBI and the State regarding the plea filed by Colonel Pushpinder Bath. Additionally, the court sought clarification from the Punjab government on why it did not act on another complaint from a police officer who claimed to have sustained injuries in the same incident.
The case involves a brawl in Patiala where Colonel Bath and his son were allegedly assaulted by police personnel on March 13. Following the incident, 12 Patiala police officers, including three inspectors, were suspended, and a departmental inquiry was initiated. The suspended officers included inspectors Harry Boparai, Ronnie Singh, and Harjinder Dhillon, along with nine other police personnel and gunmen.
Colonel Bath, currently serving at the Army headquarters in New Delhi, and his son have been receiving treatment at the Military Hospital after the attack. Bath claimed that he suffered a fracture in his left arm and multiple injuries caused by blunt objects. His son, Angad Singh, who tried to intervene, also sustained injuries.
According to the family, the assault occurred at a dhaba near Rajindra Hospital, where they were having food. When they were asked by the police to move their car, Colonel Bath objected to the officers’ tone, leading to one of them punching him. This escalated into a brutal attack on both the Colonel and his son. Bath’s wife, Jaswinder Bath, also supported this account.
However, one of the suspended policemen claimed that Colonel Bath and his son attacked them first. According to the officer, they were confronted for drinking in public, which led to the altercation.
A witness, Karan, the dhaba owner, stated that Colonel Bath and his son had ordered food and were drinking in their car. He mentioned that a scuffle broke out between the two parties after other vehicles arrived, with all involved being in civilian clothes.
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