More than three months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court handed over the probe into the assault on Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath to the Chandigarh Police, the court on Wednesday transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), following a request from the Army officer himself.
Col Bath had appealed for an independent probe, preferably by the CBI, alleging that the Chandigarh Police failed to carry out a fair and unbiased investigation. The Court’s direction came just two days after Justice Rajesh Bhardwaj sharply criticised the Chandigarh Police for not arresting any of the accused Punjab Police personnel.
Calling the delay "intentional," the Judge stated that the police’s conduct was setting a “wrong the example” and seemed to be aimed at shielding the accused.
In his petition, Col Bath pointed out that the case had been transferred to the Chandigarh Police back on April 2, but no meaningful progress had been made since then.
“It is being stated with utmost disappointment that even despite lapse of more than three and a half months of the registration of the FIR and lapse of three months since the Investigation has been handed over to the Chandigarh Police, neither a single accused has been arrested so far, nor any accused has been associated with the investigation,” he stated.
The petitioner, through his counsel Preetinder Singh Ahluwalia, told the court that the inaction of the investigating agency seemed deliberate. He pointed out that no non-bailable warrants, no PO proceedings, or any other legal steps had been taken — nothing that would show even a basic level of seriousness or intent to act against the accused.
Col Bath further stated that when the bail plea of one of the accused, Ronnie Singh, came up for hearing, the High Court directly questioned the investigating officer: if the anticipatory bail was denied, would the Chandigarh Police actually go ahead and arrest him?
“The answer was in affirmative but as worrisome and disappointing as it can be, no such arrest has been made till date,” he asserted.
Col Bath alleged that it was clear from the way things were unfolding that the Chandigarh Police was under pressure — and that pressure, he claimed, was coming directly from the top brass of the Punjab Police.
In his initial petition, Colonel Bath, who is serving at a sensitive position under the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, had accused Punjab Police officers of brutally assaulting him and his son. The incident, he said, took place on the night of March 13–14 in Patiala. He further alleged that there had been a deliberate attempt to manipulate the investigation in the aftermath.
Col Bath accused four Inspector-rank Punjab Police officers, along with their armed subordinates, of assaulting him and his son without any provocation. He said they snatched his official ID card and mobile phone, and even threatened them with fake encounters — all of this happening in full public view, and under CCTV surveillance.
Despite the seriousness of the incident, Bath said the local police did nothing. Distress calls to senior officials went unanswered. Instead of acting on his complaint, the police filed a bogus FIR under ‘affray’ against unknown individuals, based on a third-party complaint.
It was only after relentless efforts by his family — approaching senior police officials and even the Governor of Punjab — that a proper FIR was finally registered, and that too after a delay of eight days.
It was only after the officer’s family approached senior police officials and even the Governor of Punjab, that a proper FIR was registered—eight days later.
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