Six policemen, including a Superintendent of Police (SP), have been booked on charges of torturing and subjecting a lawyer in their custody to severe abuse, including forcing him into sexual acts, as detailed in an FIR filed in Punjab's Muktsar district.
The incident has triggered strong reactions from the legal community, with lawyers associated with the Bar Association of Punjab and Haryana High Court abstaining from work on Tuesday. They have demanded the immediate dismissal and arrest of the accused policemen.
The lawyer and another individual were arrested on September 14 following a complaint lodged by Raman Kumar Kamboj, the in-charge of the Crime Investigation Agency. Kamboj alleged that the lawyers had assaulted a police team, resulting in damage to the officers' uniforms.
While in police custody, the two detainees were reportedly subjected to sexual abuse and forced to engage in sexual acts.
The FIR, registered on Monday, lists the accused as Muktsar SP (Investigation) Ramandeep Singh Bhullar, Inspector Raman Kumar Kamboj, constables Harbans Singh and Bhupinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, and home guard Dara Singh.
The decision to file the FIR was prompted by the lawyer’s statement, in which he described the “inhuman treatment” he endured while in custody. In an order dated September 22, the Muktsar Chief Judicial Magistrate directed the police to initiate legal proceedings against the accused officers.
The court stated, “The statement of the victim is treated as a complaint as per Section 2 (D) of the Criminal Procedure Code, in which prima facie cognizable offences of abetment of unnatural sex, causing injuries in wrongful confinement, and threats to his life and liberty are shown.”
The court further asserted, “From the perusal of his statement, there are sufficient grounds for proceeding against the police officials/officer named by him. Therefore, the concerned SHO (station house officer) PS (police station) Sadar Sr Muktsar Sahib is directed to initiate an investigation against the police officials after registering a case against them.”
The accused policemen have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 377 (unnatural offences – carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman, or animal), Section 342 (wrongful confinement), and Section 506 (criminal intimidation).