Three police personnel, including a high-ranking Superintendent of Police (SP) and a Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) officer, have been apprehended in Muktsar on Wednesday in connection with a controversial case involving allegations of severe misconduct, including physical assault, torture, and forced sexual acts against a lawyer in police custody.

The state government has also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), under the chairmanship of Ludhiana Police Commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu, to investigate the torture allegation. The four-member SIT will be supervised by the Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Jaskaran Singh and will have three other policemen as members.

As per the orders issued by the Punjab Bureau of Investigation, the SIT will investigate the allegations of custodial torture levelled by the lawyer and submit its report to the Director Bureau of Investigation, Punjab.

The move came following a meeting of a delegation of the Bar Association of the Punjab and Haryana High Court with the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Notably, six policemen, including Muktsar SP (Investigation) Ramandeep Singh Bhullar, were booked on Monday for subjecting a lawyer in their custody to torture that included forcing him into sex with a co-accused in Muktsar. Other than Bhullar, the case was also registered against Inspector Raman Kumar Kamboj, constables — Harbans Singh, Bhupinder Singh, and Gurpreet Singh, and home guard Dara Singh.

Of them, the police has arrested SP Bhullar, Inspector Raman Kumar Kamboj, and Constable Harbans Singh.

The case was registered under various sections including 377 (unnatural sex), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The incident that sparked the controversy took place when a lawyer in Muktsar was allegedly subjected to brutal physical assault and sexual abuse while representing a client in a legal matter.

Going into background of the matter, on September 14, advocate and another were taken into custody following a complaint lodged by CIA in-charge Raman Kumar Kamboj who alleged that the lawyers had physically assaulted a police team and caused damage to some officers’ uniforms during the confrontation.

Over a week after, on September 22, the Muktsar Chief Judicial Magistrate directed the law enforcement authorities to formally register a case against the implicated policemen. The court of CJM had observed, “The statement of the victim (advocate) is treated as a formal complaint in accordance with Section 2 (D) of the Criminal Procedure Code. The court has prima facie identified cognizable offenses, including abetment of unnatural sex and causing injuries during wrongful confinement, along with causing threats to his life and liberty.”

The details of the lawyer's harrowing experience came to light after the Muktsar Bar Association raised serious concerns about the incident and initiated legal proceedings. What added to the outrage was the initial reluctance of the Muktsar police to register a First Information Report (FIR) in response to the lawyer's complaint, despite court orders to do so.

The lawyer's ordeal and the perceived lack of action by the authorities prompted lawyers in Muktsar to take to the streets in protest. These protests soon snowballed, leading to a suspension of legal proceedings not only in Punjab but also in neighboring Haryana. The Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association joined forces with the local lawyers, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the legal community's demand for justice.

Under the mounting pressure of public outrage and the legal community's relentless advocacy, the Muktsar police eventually registered an FIR. Subsequently, a comprehensive investigation was launched into the allegations of misconduct. It was during the course of these investigations that the top police brass decided to take the Superintendent of Police (D), the officer in-charge of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), and several other police personnel into custody.

Following the arrest of the police officers and the initiation of a thorough investigation, the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana has decided to withdraw its strike, however the Bar Association of the Punjab and Haryana High Court will decide on the future course of action in its meeting on Friday (September 29).

Notably, the lawyers associated with the Bar Association of Punjab and Haryana High Court have embarked on a work boycott since Tuesday in solidarity with their colleagues, while demanding an immediate dismissal and arrest of police personnel implicated in allegations of torture.

With the registration of case and arrests in the matter, the legal proceedings are expected to resume, bringing relief to countless individuals who have been affected by the suspension of legal services in the region.

BOX

·         Four-member SIT formed under Ludhiana Police Commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu

·         Three accused cops — SP Bhullar, Inspector Kamboj, Constable Harbans Singh — arrested

·         Total six cops booked on the allegations of unnatural sex, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation

·         Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana announced to withdraw strike

·         Bar Association of Punjab and Haryana High Court to decide on strike on Friday