Army jawan alleges he was stripped, beaten, and had his turban tossed at Chandigarh police station; moves Punjab and Haryana HC

In January this year, the Naik Singh’s Commanding Officer, Colonel Mrinal Mehta of 10 Corps Signal Regiment, had written to Chandigarh DGP saying the “incident had filled him with rage” and sought action against the ‘vagabond’ police officers as it was an insult to the Indian Army.

Naik Arvinder Singh, posted in Bathinda, is in a marital dispute with his wife who is a constable in Chandigarh Police and is posted in the same police station. Naik Singh has alleged in his petition that he had come to meet his estranged wife and infant son in Mullanpur, near Chandigarh, on November 12 last year when he was first summoned by Punjab Police Sub Inspector Paramjit Singh of Mullanpur Police Station where he was threatened and intimidated.

Following this, he was asked to go to the Sector 11 Police Station in Chandigarh where he was made to sign blank papers as well as write two statements after he was threatened with false NDPS and Arms Act cases.

Naming the SHO of the Sector 11 Police Station, Inspector Malkit Singh, and Constable Sunil in his petition, the Army soldier said he was beaten up by some individuals, his turban tossed, all his clothes removed and made a video of him. He also stated in his petition that he was asked to stay away from his wife.

A complaint by the soldier to the SSP Chandigarh on November 16, 2023, bringing the incident to light went unanswered, the petition said.

In his petition, Naik Singh also mentioned that the Commanding Officer’s complaint to the DGP was marked for inquiry to the same police station where he had been mistreated.

After his application on January 15, 2024, to SSP, Chandigarh Police, to mark the inquiry to an officer of the rank of DSP went unanswered, Naik Singh filed a petition in the high court.

Writing a demi-official letter to the DGP, Chandigarh Police, on January 4, Colonel Mrinal Mehta wrote, “The incident which is elaborated in the following paras brings out the apathy, corruption and vagabond attitude of the State Police which claims to have a motto “We care for you”. The incident when brought to light in front of me, filled me with rage because of the insult it brought upon not only the individual but the Indian Army as a whole, it is pertinent to mention that we as an Indian Army Officers, believe in the law wholeheartedly and that’s the reason why I as the Commanding Officer am seeking justice for the soldier under my command through the official channel and not being a vagabond myself”.

Col Mehta said, “During this incident the pagdi of the soldier was also removed, desecrating the Sikh religion and causing hurt to the religious sentiments for which I will write to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)”.