The North News
New Delhi, July 16
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe into the alleged assault of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath by Punjab Police personnel, after strong allegations of bias and inaction by the state police and Chandigarh Police’s special investigation team (SIT). Bath’s wife, Jasvinder Kaur, welcomed the court’s intervention, thanking the judges for “listening to our pain and delivering justice.” Speaking to the media, she accused the police of “inhuman” treatment and claimed the family was repeatedly pressured into a compromise.
The army officer, currently serving as deputy secretary at the cabinet secretariat, alleged that he and a colleague, Gurtej Singh Dhillon, were brutally beaten by 12 Punjab Police officers in Patiala during a parking dispute near Government Rajindra Hospital on the night of 13–14 March.
Initially, the investigation was transferred from Punjab Police to a SIT led by SP Manjit Sheron of Chandigarh Police on 3 April. However, Colonel Bath filed a fresh plea in July accusing the SIT of shielding the accused. He alleged that despite over three months since the FIR was filed, none of the 12 officers had been arrested or even questioned.
The High Court has directed the IPS officer heading the SIT to appear in court with the full case record.
During a press conference on 21 March, the Bath’s family released a video purportedly showing four Punjab Police inspectors accepting responsibility for the attack and apologising. The incident has ignited widespread anger, with rights groups and former military personnel calling for accountability and swift justice.
