Assault on colonel: Explain delay in registering FIR, submit reply by March 28: HC

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday said it appears attempts were being made to protect police officials accused of assaulting an army colonel and his son earlier this month, directing the Punjab government to file a detailed reply by March 28, asking it to explain the delay in registration of an FIR against the accused cops. The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday said it appears attempts were being made to protect police officials accused of assaulting an army colonel and his son earlier this month, directing the Punjab government to file a detailed reply by March 28, asking it to explain the delay in registration of an FIR against the accused cops. The plea of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath — who has accused 12 Punjab Police personnel of assaulting him and his son Angad on March 13 over a parking dispute in Patiala — seeking transfer of probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation or another independent agency was taken up by the bench of justice Sandeep Moudgil, which questioned the police on procedural lapses reported in the case. “This court has deep concern regarding procedural fairness and preservation of material evidence such as non-preservation of CCTV footage from the said place of occurrence, not registering the FIR immediately at the first instance despite medico legal reports and more than 20 calls made to the police authorities immediately thereafter at the behest of petitioner or his wife,” it remarked.