Police admit to lapses in probe, sack SHO

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 20

Less than two months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Punjab Bureau of Investigation Director to look into the slapping of a milder charge in Tarn Taran celebratory fire case in which a person was killed, the police have dismissed an SHO after admitting lapses in the probe.

The Director, Prabodh Kumar, told Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal’s Bench that a corruption case too has registered against the officer on the allegations of accepting Rs 7 lakh bribe.

Kumar submitted that directions had also been issued to the Amritsar IGP-Border Range to constitute an SIT to investigate the case. The case has its genesis in an FIR registered for murder and criminal conspiracy at Tarn Taran city police station on January 6, 2018, after victim Amardeep Singh was shot during a wedding ceremony at a resort on the Amritsar road. A shot fired by one Jaspal Singh hit Amardeep Singh.

Seeking fair investigation, petitioner Bhupinder Singh told Justice Grewal’s Bench that the FIR was registered for murder under Section 302. But SHO, Tarn Taran police station, deleted Section 302 and replaced it with Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) to help the accused. “He has also completely changed the version of the FIR from the one stated earlier,” it was added.

Justice Grewal on May 29 directed the Bureau of Investigation Director to inquire into the matter “as to how and on what basis the SHO could delete Section 302 and change the version of the FIR”.