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Tribune News Service
Chandigarh / Dharamsala, May 7
Punjab police reserved former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini and six other police officers on Wednesday night in a 29-year-old case of alleged kidnapping, torture and removal handled on stage by Balwant Singh Multani, son of former IAS officer Darshan Singh Multani. Hours later, the former DGP was denied entry to Himachal Pradesh due to the lack of a valid pass.
CM Capt Amarinder Singh rejected the ex-DGP allegation of political motivation. It was not political interference, he said, stating that the law would take its own course. A police spokesman said the case was presented solely on the basis of a new request from the victim’s brother.
The FIR was filed against Saini under Sections 364 (kidnapping to murder), 201 (causing the disappearance of evidence), 344 (unlawful confinement), 330 (causing harm), 219 (making a report contrary to law) and 120- B (criminal conspiracy) at the Mataur police station in Mohali for a complaint filed by Palwinder Singh Multani, brother of the alleged victim.
The other recruits include former DSP Baldev Singh Saini, Inspector Satvir Singh, SI Har Sahai Sharma, Jagir Singh and Anoop Singh, and ASI Kuldip Singh.
Balwant, the victim, was accused of carrying out an attack on Saini when he was the Chandigarh SSP on December 11, 1991. He, along with Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, convicted in the Delhi bomb explosion case, and Two others were booked but the police later claimed that Balwant escaped from the custody of the Qadian (Gurdaspur) police.
DGP Dinkar Gupta and Mohali Kuldeep Chahal’s SSP were not available for comment, while the former DGP told a news portal that the case was a conspiracy by the current political regime in Punjab.
In his complaint, Palvinder said his father fought for justice until his death in 2014. In 2015, a former police officer, Gurmeet Singh Pinky, claimed that Balwant, JE with CITCO, Chandigarh, was tortured and removed.
He claimed that the policemen wanted to know the whereabouts of Bhullar and his brother was allegedly beaten and tortured, which led to his death in police custody.
However, it was officially claimed that he escaped from police custody in Qadian, he said.
Meanwhile, Saini and two others tried to enter Himachal from the Swarghat area of the Bilaspur district around 4 am today, but were not allowed to enter. Bilaspur SP Divakar Sharma said Saini was denied entry as he did not have a valid pass. Saini called Naina Devi’s DSP and asked him to go to Charkhari village in the Karsog subdivision of Mandi, where he had a house, the SP added.
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