The City beautiful, has witnessed an alarming increase in the number of cases related to citizens being harassed and inaction by Chandigarh police officials.
The increasing number of complaints registered against police officials in Police Complaint Authority (PCA) has raised a serious concern over the functioning of Police department.
Talking to The Pioneer, Justice N K Agrawal (Retd.), Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority said, “It is a matter of grave concern for society that the number of cases of harassment by police officials is increasing. However, our Commission is in regular touch with senior police officials to take strict measures to check it.”
PCA received more than 329 complaints in last three years by citizens who became victims of harassment by UT police officials. In 2011, it received 116 cases with complainants alleging that they had been harassed by police officials either by not registering complaint against the accused persons or by delaying the process of investigation in cases registered against accused.
The number increased up to 118 in 2012 while PCA has so far received more than 35 complaints against Police department in year 2013.
Taking action on the complaints, in 110 cases, the PCA has requested the senior officials of Chandigarh police to take disciplinary action against the guilty police officers. It also disposed, 249 cases so far.
Recently, in the first week of April, PCA passed an order, in which the Inspector General of Chandigarh police was recommended to initiate a departmental inquiry against three police officials, out of which two have retired. The orders were given after PCA found the officials to be guilty after a number of hearings against them.
PCA in its order, recommended IGP to initiate inquiry against three Inspectors Janak Singh Rana (Retd.), Pargat Singh (Retd.) and the present SHO Harjeet Kaur after the PCA found these three officials as guilty for showing undue favour to an accused in a land dispute case and having directly and indirectly helping him in occupying a house which belonged to the petitioner.