Singer Sidhu Moosewala case: Barnala court rejects anticipatory bail of six accused

Parvesh Sharma
Tribune News Service
Barnala, June 2

A Barnala court has dismissed the anticipatory bail application of six accused, including five cops, who are facing FIR under the Arms Act with Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.

The FIR was registered on May 4 at Dhanauala police station of the district. 

As per information, the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Barnala, has dismissed the applications for anticipatory bail of Constables Harwinder Singh and Jasveer Singh, Head Constables Gagandeep Singh and Gurjinder Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector Balkar Singh and shooting player Jungsher Singh.

“It is yet to be ascertained that how they reached Badbar and in which capacity the cops accompanied them when there had been curfew in state due to the spread of COVID-19. The court of Arun Gupta, Additional District and Session Judge, Barnala has dismissed applications of all six accused for anticipatory bail,” said Aseem Goyal, Additional Public Prosecutor (APP), while opposing the bail applications.

Apart from it, he also raised various points in court including the pending recovery of weapon used for firing, vehicle they used to reach Badbar and recovery of used cartridges.

“The use of AK-47 rifle to fire at shooting range, Badbar, is most serious aspect of the case and needs thorough investigations,” Goyal told The Tribune.

On May 4, after a video showing the singer shooting at a firing range in Badbar of Barnala district, went viral on the social media, the Dhanauala police, on the directions of Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta, had registered a case under Sections 188 of the IPC and Section 51 of the Disaster Management Act against Moosewala and five policemen.

This included Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Balkar Singh, Head Constables Gagandeep Singh and Gurjinder Singh, Constables Jasvir Singh, Harwinder Singh and three others, Karam Singh Lehal, Inder Singh Grewal and Jang Sher Singh.

But within 24 hours, another FIR was also registered against all under the same sections at Dhuri Sadar police station on May 5 after another video showing Moosewala firing from his private pistol at Laddai Kothi of Sangrur shooting range surfaced.

On May 17, police had added Sections 25 and 30 of the Arms Act 1959 to both FIRs registered against Moosewala and others.

In Dhuri Sadar police station FIR of Sangrur district, eight accused have got interim bail on May 30 and only singer Sidhu Moosewala has been on the run.

“We have received information that court has dismissed the application of six accused for anticipatory bail. Our thorough investigations are going on and we would not spare anyone,” said SSP Barnala Sandeep Goel.