While the Punjab government is busy handling the fallout of evicting the agitating farmers from Shambhu and Khanauri borders, there is another serious issue of police-army confrontation, after 12 Punjab Police cops allegedly beat up a serving colonel of the Indian Army, Pushpinder Singh Bath, on the night of March 13.
The Punjab government has suspended 12 cops and registered an FIR. However, the police have not named any of the 12 accused cops in the FIR, even after it has suspended all of them. The army officer’s wife has been demanding an independent probe and not by the Punjab Police, since it is an “accused party” in the incident.
On March 13, late in the evening, the army colonel was having dinner at a restaurant. He had an altercation with a group of cops, who were reportedly not in their uniforms. They had reportedly returned from an encounter with some criminals. The army colonel was also not in his uniform. It all started with a heated argument over parking and eventually ended up in alleged manhandling of the colonel.
Initially, the Punjab Police sought to downplay the incident. However, as the outrage grew and opposition political parties, media and the general public sought action against the guilty cops, the government suspended all the twelve cops who were present during the incident. Surprisingly, the FIR does not name any of the cops as the FIR mentions “unidentified” persons only.
The family of the colonel is apprehensive that the Punjab Police will eventually bail the actual culprits out as it has been continuously protecting and shielding them.
The issue went to the backburner for a couple of days in the wake of police action on agitating farmers. However, it is refusing to die down, as the colonel’s family, ex-servicemen and general public on social media have been demanding action against the cops.
Given the widely prevailing tendency to hold the police responsible for everything and a soft corner, and rightly so, towards the army, the support for the victimised colonel is growing day by day.
On Thursday, Punjab government ordered a “magisterial” inquiry to be conducted by a senior IAS officer. However, the colonel’s family has rejected it saying that it was only a diversionary tactic by the Punjab government to protect the guilty cops.
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As elsewhere in the country, so in Punjab, the army personnel are held in high regard and respect. Moreover, with Punjab having a history of producing great soldiers and warriors, there is a special respect for the people in uniform in this border state. Punjab also sends the highest number of soldiers to the defence forces in terms of population proportion.
Added to that was the “special status” provided to the defence personnel, both serving and retired, by two-time former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. Having himself served in the army, he ensured that the defence personnel were accorded due regard and respect. Once he had seen a senior officer waiting outside the office of an SSP during his first tenure as the Chief Minister between 2002 and 2007. Not only did he take the particular SSP to task, but he also issued written instructions to ensure that defence personnel, whether serving or retired got due respect.
Various social media users and serving and ex-servicemen have gone on record, missing Capt Amarinder this time. One social media user wrote on X, that no matter what, he (Capt Amarinder) would not have tolerated such an incident and all the guilty cops would by now have been in jail after being dismissed.
For the Punjab government, right now, it is a tough call to take. It appears to be apprehensive of taking any stringent and coercive action against the accused cops. Suspending them and without naming them in the FIR is clearly seen as protecting them. The message has not been lost on anyone; neither the police, nor the army.
Besides, the love and respect for the army, another reason for the public outcry and outrage against the incident is the “high handedness” that the police are accused of. The general refrain among the common people is that if a serving army colonel can be treated like that, what would be the plight of the common man who is rarely heard. IN this case, the victim happened to be a serving army colonel, otherwise, nobody would have even taken note of the incident and the victim would have preferred to keep quiet.
In the recent past, the Punjab government in general and the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in particular has taken some tough decisions and refused to succumb to the collective blackmail. When his government suspended some of the corrupt revenue officials, all of them went on a lightning strike. The Mann government issued clear orders to resume duty or lose jobs. Within a day, the striking officials resumed their duties.
Similarly, Mann had been continuously trying to convince the agitating farmers to lift the road blockades as it caused a lot of harassment to the public. When the farmers refused, the government exerted the authority that was required of it.
The Patiala incident is now yet another test case for the AAP government. On the one hand is the issue of justice with a serving colonel who was brutally beaten up and on the other hand is a challenge to take action against the cops, who are seen to be guilty of police brutality. It will be a tough call for the government to take. But it will need to deliver justice, which should not only be delivered, but must be seen to be delivered.
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