Journalism of Courage
A probe has been ordered after a group of Nihang Singhs, swinging swords in the air, entered the City South police station in Moga and raised slogans against the station house officer (SHO) for allegedly letting off three drug peddlers.
A video of the incident, said to have taken place on January 31, has gone viral. In the video clip, a group of Nihang Singhs with swords in their hands, can be seen raising slogans against police. One of them says, “Dhee putt mari jaandey hai…Jaa thana band hoyuga ya saadi basti ch chitta band hoyuga…Eh bande chaddi jaande hai…SHO nu deke gaye, 675 bandeya de sign hai…Ehne bande paise leke chadtey…Jo bole so nihaal… (Our daughters and sons are dying. Either this police station will be shut or chitta supply in our colony will be stopped. Policemen are letting off the accused. We submitted an application to SHO with 675 signatures. But he took money and let them off)”
Police sources said Nihang Singhs protested at City South police station on January 31 after three men, who they alleged were drug peddlers and handed them over to police on January 30, were let off later in the night.
Inspector Gurpreet Singh, who was posted as SHO City South Moga on January 30, but got transferred the next day, said, “They had handed us over three men but no drug was recovered from them. Also they were addicts and started feeling unwell.
It was illegal to make them sit throughout the night at a police station so we let them off.”
Sub-Inspector Karamjit Singh, who joined as SHO City South the next day, when the protest happened, said, “I wasn’t present when the Nihang Singhs entered…Some of these protesters, including the one who was leading it, is also booked in several FIRs including that for illicit liquor smuggling, theft etc…”
DSP (Crime) Ravinder Singh said, “It was a dereliction of duty on part of policemen present there as people with swords entered the police station and brazenly swung them in the air. Also, an inquiry has been marked into allegations of three alleged drug peddlers being let off.”
