UT cops assaulted party office staff, 2 journalists: Punjab Congress to Governor

As per the complaint given by Capt Sandeep Singh Sandhu, in-charge of Punjab Congress Bhawan, it is alleged that as soon the protest ended, a police party wearing riot gear and armed with weapons, led by SHO Sector 11 police station Inspector Narinder Patial, barged into the Congress Bhawan and started “beating and abusing the staff and journalists present on the premises.”

[related-post]

“He started searching the rooms of the Punjab Congress Bhawan… he behaved as if some dangerous criminals were hiding on the premises,” reads the complaint.

The complaint claimed that during the police action, two journalists, identified as Kuldeep Singh Jaffalpur and Jai Singh Chibber, were brutally beaten up by the SHO. “Turbans of two Sikh gentlemen were flung,” the complaint alleged.

Kuldeep Singh, a stringer with Dainik Jagran in Gurdaspur, told Chandigarh Newsline he was beaten up by the SHO ruthlessly. “Despite saying that I am a journalist, the SHO didn’t listen,” he said, adding that he took medical assistance at GMSH and left for his village.

SHO Patial refuted the allegations. “There were apprehensions that some youths [in the protest] had weapons. We entered the Punjab Bhawan to arrest them. But they (the youth) scaled the wall and fled,” he said. “Should I wait for a search warrant to arrest those who carry guns and went inside a building?” Patial said.

He also denied that any journalist was beaten up by the police. “I am not aware about it. The journalist (Singh) who went to Sector 16 hospital went on his own later, not when we provided an ambulance in the area.”

WATCH INDIAN EXPRESS VIDEOS HERE

UT SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill said he was not aware of the complaint. “Once we receive it, we will examine it,” he said.

The Chandigarh Press Club has condemned the alleged incident. The governing council of Chandigarh Press Club demanded action against the policemen concerned.