Colonel, son assault case: 4 absconding Punjab Police inspectors rejoin duty, get posting

The district SSPs and the DIG Patiala Range Kuldeep Chahal maintained a cryptic silence over these developments and did not respond to media queries.

The four Inspectors had been absconding ever since the incident March 13 and joined duty only after the case was handed over to the CBI. It is being speculated that they rejoined duty fearing that they would be declared proclaimed offenders. The Punjab Police had failed to arrest them from the day an FIR was registered against them pertaining to the assault.

On March 13, Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath and his son Angad were allegedly assaulted by 12 Punjab Police personnel, including four inspectors, over a parking dispute at a roadside eatery near Rajindra Hospital in Patiala.

The attack left Colonel Bath with a fractured arm and his son with head injuries. The family alleged that the assault was unprovoked, involved threats of a “fake encounter,” and that the police snatched Colonel’s ID and phone.

Punjab Police faced criticism for an eight-day delay in registering an FIR, initially filing one under “affray” based on a third-party complaint. After public outcry and intervention by the Punjab Governor and Army, a proper FIR was registered on March 22. Twelve personnel were suspended, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed under ADGP SPS Parmar to probe the case. Later ADGP AS Rai headed the SIT following Parmar’s transfer as Chief Director Vigilance.

Colonel Bath later moved Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking a CBI probe due to distrust in the Punjab Police. The court questioned the FIR delay and police conduct. On April 3 the investigation was transferred to Chandigarh Police, with a new SIT led by SP Manjeet Sheoran, excluding Punjab cadre officers, to ensure impartiality. The SIT was tasked to complete the probe within four months.

However, due to dissatisfaction with the Chandigarh Police SIT’s slow progress and perceived bias, the High Court transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on July 16. The court also criticized the Chandigarh Police SIT for creating “loopholes” to protect the accused and noted no arrests had been made despite the evidence.

Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the High Court demanding a time-bound Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into what it termed the “staged encounter” of 22-year-old Jaspreet Singh, a Canadian student, by Punjab Police in Patiala on March 13.

The petition has been filed by Gurtej Singh Dhillon, the brother-in-law of Colonel Bath, who was allegedly assaulted by the same police team on the same night. Dhillon has contended that the Punjab Police cannot be expected to conduct an impartial investigation into its own officers’ role and alleged that the killing violated Jaspreet’s right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Dhillon’s plea also questions the integrity of the ongoing police probe, pointing out that officers involved in the encounter were reportedly rewarded with promotions and Rs 10 lakh, raising fears of institutional bias. It urges the High Court to step in and entrust the investigation to the CBI to “restore public faith in the rule of law.”