Days after inspector’s suicide, 2 cops held

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 22

The police today arrested two constables, who had allegedly helped Inspector Narinder Singh in disposing of the body a 22-year-old youth, who reportedly died in custody on May 19. The Inspector, who was under pressure, allegedly committed suicideon Sunday.

The police had claimed that the youth, Jaspal Singh, committed suicide in custody of officer incharge of CIA staff Narinder Singh. A case of abetment to suicide was registered against the Inspector on Tuesday.

The relatives of the deceased youth today staged a dharna in front of the SSP office here, following which the two constables, Darshan Singh and Sukhmander Singh, were arrested. The protesters are demanding the arrest of two more police officials who had accompanied Narinder Singh at the time of arresting Jaspal from Ratti Rori village on May 18.

While the police are yet to ascertain as to what prompted the CIA chief to arrest the youth at 11 pm on the basis of an unverified complaint, the family members of the deceased are not convinced with the suicide theory.

They alleged Jaspal was picked up from a gurdwara at 11 pm and given third degree torture at the behest an influential person. They alleged that after Jaspal’s death in custody, Narinder Singh did not get any support from the said person. Caught in a difficult situation, he dumped the body into a canal and committed suicide, they claimed.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Kumar Saurav Raj today ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. On the basis of disclosure made by arrested constables that they had dumped the youth’s body into Indira Gandhi Canal, teams of the district police initiated a search. Another team has been sent to Nanded in Maharashtra in search of Randhir Singh, who is accused of using his connections in the police for the arrest of Jaspal Singh. The victim was reportedly having friendship with Randhir’s stepdaughter.

Illegal detention

May 18: Inspector Narinder Singh raids a gurdwara at Ratti Rori village and rounds up 22-year-old Jaspal Singh.

May 19, 4 am: Jaspal found dead in police lockup. Narinder Singh and two other employees in CIA staff dispose of the body into a canal.

8 am: Gurcharan Singh, Jaspal’s maternal uncle, asks the police to release him. The inspector claims Jaspal has been already sent with his ‘unknown’ relative.

5.18 pm: Narinder Singh shoots himself dead in his office at CIA staff.

May 20: The police register a case against Ranbir Singh of Jind (Haryana), his wife and three friends of Jaspal Singh for kidnapping him. The victim was a friend of Ranbir’s stepdaughter.