CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Police have crossed swords with the Chandigarh Police over the latter’s action of detaining a CIA inspector of Ropar Jaspal-Singh, along with his guard, for travelling in a white Maruti car with a fictitious number plate.

The inspector, along with the guard, had come to Chandigarh in connection with an official meeting on June 2. After the meeting, he went to the house of a friend in Manimajra. While he was there, a strong contingent of the Chandigarh Police, led by two DSPs, surrounded the house and caught the inspector and his guard, all of whom were in uniform.

According to sources, the inspector told the Chandigarh Police that the car had been requisitioned for use of police from a resident of Hargobind pur on the orders of the Deputy Commissioner of Ropar, and its number plate had been changed for security reasons. But the Chandigarh Police did not listen.

The inspector and the gunmen were taken to the police station. It was only around mid-night, when a big contingent of the Punjab Police and the CRPF came looking for them, that they were allowed to go. However, the Maruti car was not released.

Interestingly, in the “Roznamcha,” the CIA inspector and his gunmen were shown as having been caught while travelling in a stolen car, in spite of the fact that the inspector produced the order of attachment of the requisitioned car with him for security.

Next day, senior officers of the Punjab Police took up the matter with their Chandigarh counterparts. They were assured that the car would be released, but this was not done. Affer waiting until June 24, the CIA inspector moved an application through an advocate in the court of duty magistrate, T.R.Bansal, for the release of car.

The magistrate asked the SHO of Manimajra police station to send a report on the matter, When the report did not come, the magistrate asked the additional public prosecutor to ensure compliance of the court order by June 27, But still the report did not come. The case was then fixed for June 30.

However, a police official from the Manimajra police station was seen in the court, persuading N.K. Nanda, the counsel for the CIA inspector, and a sub-inspector to take back the car. But the sub-inspector refused, saying that they would not get the car released through court,

The sub-inspector told a reporter that they were supposed to pay the car owner at the rate of Rs 200 daily. As the car was in possession of the Chandigarh Police since June 2 they could not make payment for this period. “While the Chandigarh

Police was willing to return the car it was silent about the money.

That’s why they cannot accept the offer of Chandigarh Police, he said.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 10, 1994