PHRC raps police, demands inquiry report

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 7

Taking cognizance of the incident pertaining to beating up of two beggars by a policeman in September, the Punjab Human Rights Commission (PHRC) has rapped the government and the police for human rights violations.

A news report was published in Amritsar Tribune on September 27 highlighting how a woman holding an infant and her handicapped partner were brutally beaten up in full public view by the police.

While one of the policemen stood by, the other thrashed the beggars with his cane.

He was identified as head constable Gurpreet Singh (No 2444/Asr). Even as the Police Commissioner, JS Aulakh, had instantly placed him under suspension, a local human rights activist, Parbodh C Bali, considered it to be a case of human rights violation and submitted a complaint with the PHRC.

The PHRC rapped the Punjab Government through its Principal Secretary, Department of Home Affairs and Justice, ADGP Human Rights, and made the SSP (Rural) liable to probe and prepare the report about the matter.

The PHRC had directed the SSP to appear on January 19 in Chandigarh with the inquiry report.

Punjab Human Rights Commission said, “The complainant alleges, on the basis of a news item annexed with it, that two police officials gave merciless beating to two beggars, one of whom was a lady. The complaint prays for an inquiry in the matter.”

Complainant PC Bali in his complaint dated September 28 submitted to the PHRC made it clear that the victims of violent police action have been eliminated as they couldn’t be traced by the complainant who went to find the poor lady beggar and her companion.

Bali said the Commissioner of Police, Amritsar, just tried to hush up the matter by sending the guilty policemen to the Police Lines, which was more of eyewash.

No action was taken to trace the victims to compensate them, he added.

“The police could have arrested the beggars and charged them under the offence of the Begging Act. But, instead, they cane-charged the lady beggar who was holding a six-month-old baby in her lap and she was shrieking hysterically,” said Bali.