24 hours later, Mohali police still await formal direction
No Fir was yet registered against Mohali’s two suspended police officials — Superintendent of Police (Detective) Pritam Singh and Phase VIII Station House Officer (SHO) Sub-Inspector Kul Bhushan — on the charge of causing hurt to the religious sentiments.
Both these cops were placed under suspension on March 30 for allegedly “hurting the sentiments of the Sikhs by removing a turban of a Sikh protester during the protest staged by the retrenched rural veterinary pharmacists and Class IV employees near PCA stadium in Mohali on March 28”.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who as the Home Minister, had suspended the police officials, had on Monday ordered the registration of a criminal case under Section 295-A of the IPC against both the “guilty” cops. Surprisingly enough, the local police officials till Tuesday evening were still awaiting the formal order to this effect before proceeding further in the case.
“I am not aware if any such FIR has been registered here so far,” said Mohali SP (City) Harpreet Singh when asked to comment on the case. Similarly, DSP (City-II) Rajwinder Singh Sohal said, “We have not even received any such order as yet.”
The development assumes significance as Deputy CM’s order, which seemed as an exemplary one, was carried in the print as well as electronic media today on the basis of a formal press release issued by the Department of Information and Public Relations on Monday.
The release had stated that taking a serious view of the incident, Sukhbir has ordered registration of an FIR under Section 295-A of the IPC against both the police officers after receiving the report of a magisterial inquiry conducted by Mohali ADC Mohinder Singh Kainth into the “disrespect to the Sikh religion”.
“We will take stern action against anyone found guilty of showing disrespect to turban or any religious symbol of the Sikhs or other communities. There is absolutely zero tolerance on any such act of this nature committed by anyone, regardless of the position held by the guilty. No one will be spared in this regard,” Sukhbir was quoted as saying in the official statement, which further quoted him as directing the DGP PS Gill to ensure complete compliance of the government orders issued in this regard.