AMRITSAR: Inspector General of Police, Punjab, and D.R. Bhatti faces prosecution on the charge of misleading the government in a human rights case pertaining to illegal detention and harassment of some persons of Jandiala Guru town in this district. The state home apartment has sought the permission of the Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar for going ahead with the prosecution, The action proposed against Bhatti comes in the wake of the National Human Rights Commission (NHER) pulling up the principal secretary (home), M.S. Chahal and Additional Director General of Police (Crime) J.P. Aswal last week for providing it wrong information, about the case that dates back to 1993. Chahal and Aswal have again been, summoned by NHRE on October 23 for stating the true facts of the case. The Commission was sent a complaint by Ram Lubhaya Malhotra, Municipal Councilor of Jandiala Guru on August 30, 1993 alleging that a police party headed by Superintendent of Police Dilbagh Singh raided his house on August 20 at midnight and took his sons and daughters in law to the police station where they were harassed.
Following a magisterial inquiry, an FIR was registered against the guilty police officials and the accused SP, along with inspector Puran Singh and sub inspector Sucha Singh was arrested. A police inquiry earlier had recommended prosecution of the latter two and departmental action against the SP and 16 other cops. When the Commission sought information from the state government about the case last year, it was told by the police that the challan in the said case had been put up in the court in September 1995. The information was sent by Bhatti who was then IGP (border range). The government was further told by the ADGP that the complainant and the accused had reached a compromise and that on the advice of the District Attorney, a cancellation report of the case had been sent in July last year. While the state government forwarded this information to the NHRC, the latter through its own probe, learnt that the facts were to the contrary and that necessary action had not been taken in the matter.
Truth came out after the Commission summoned the home secretary and the ADGP. The new IGP (border) Bakshi Ram is reported to have written to the latter early this month that the challan has been presented in the court on October 1, 1996 and nota year ago as was earlier stated. Bhatti, when contacted today, admitted that a mistake had indeed occurred in stating the facts. He said it was wrongly mentioned in his report that the challan had been put up in the court while the fact was that challan had only been prepared. Its date too was wrongly recorded. Appearing unruffled, he attributed this to a typographical error and termed it a minor thing which he hoped would be resolved soon. However, it may not and somebody may have to own up the grave mistake that has put the state government in a corner. Who knows the challan put up on the eve of summoning by NHRC could be an afterthought and may not have materialized had the Commission not pressed the issue?
Article extracted from this publication >> October 23, 1996
