CHANDIGARH: Two hundred fifty Punjab magistrates waged a battle for three weeks to get a police superintendent shifted from his present place of posting and an Inspector of police suspended for atrocities Committed on two magistrates at Jalandhar. The magistrates who belong to the Punjab Civil Service (Executive Branch) called off their strike as a result of their partial victory.
Earlier representatives of the striking magistrates headed by Jaswant Singh met chief minister Beant Singh who was assisted by chief secretary A.S.Chatha and Punjab police chief K.P.S.Gill, The dispute arose on August 6 when two P.C.S. officers Kulbir Singh and S.S.Bains were arrested by the Jalandhar police on charges of connivance with thieves and were humiliated. The chief minister later suspended the two officers. The P.C.S. officers Association went on a strike to seek the restoration of the rule of law in the state.
While the Punjab police projected the episode as an ordinary case of corruption, the P.C.S. of firers argued that it was a different kind of dispute, the police really wanted to dominate the magistracy and dictate its will on them. The police, the magistrates said, was a law unto themselves in Punjab. This should be checked to restore the rule of law. The strike was joined in by other revenue authorities like tehsilders and village level officials also in sympathy with magistrates.
The P.C.S officers’ main demands except for one have been accepted by the state government. These included: the Jalandhar S.P, should be transferred. ‘The In Spector should be suspended. The case should be transferred to the Vigilance Department from the Jalandhar police.
The Vigilance Department is controlled by the chief secretary, the government agreed to direct the district authorities to seek the prior permission of the control ling officers if any gazette office officers are required to be arrested in any case. These decisions were taken after the Jalandhar incident was investigated by a senior l.A.S. officer C.L.Bains, Chief Secretary Chatha said the Bain serpent would be released to the Press on Sept.1.
One important demand of the magistrates which has not been accepted is the transfer of senior superintendent of Jalandhar police. His juniors S.P..N.S.Dhillon and Inspector Harbhajan Singh would be transferred from Jalandhar. Punjab police chief K,P.S.Gill had been trying to protect both these officers. He succeeded in retaining the Jalandhar S.S.P intact at that place,
Earlier, Gill tried to maintain his Superior position and sent messages to magistrates to meet him and get far bigger concessions, Evidently, he was willing to even transfer the Jalandhar police chief to satisfy the magistrates but the latter rejected the offer saying that their fight was for the restoration of the rule of law and that could not be achieved by seeking con cessions from the police.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 3, 1993
