Latest news with #Bathinda-based
Hindustan Times
03-08-2025
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: PCA prez, 5 others to face trial for murder of liquor contractor's worker
A Faridkot court has framed charges of murder, destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy against Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) president and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Amarjit Mehta and five others in a 2016 murder case. The charges were framed under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting armed with a deadly weapon) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 27 of the Arms Act. (HT File) The other accused include four Punjab Police personnel — sub-inspector Lachman Singh and constables Parminder Singh, Dharminder Singh and Kabal Singh — and liquor contractor Dharampal Singh Goel. All six are on bail. The charges were framed under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting armed with a deadly weapon) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 27 of the Arms Act. The trial will begin on August 8. Hearing the matter on July 30, the court of additional sessions judge Dinesh Kumar Wadhwa said from the material placed before the court, a prima facie case for an offence punishable under these sections was made out against the accused. The case pertains to the killing of kabaddi player Ajmer Singh, who worked for a liquor contractor in Faridkot, on May 25, 2016. According to the FIR, Ajmer was portrayed as a member of the Davinder Bambiha gang and killed in a police encounter that was allegedly in self-defence. Allegations against the accused Bathinda-based businessman Amarjit Mehta and his associate Dharampal Singh Goel, who was involved in the liquor business, had allegedly been pressuring liquor contractors in Faridkot to either sell their shares to them or divert their liquor quotas Ajmer and his brother Ranjit, both kabaddi players, reportedly worked for a rival liquor contractor. Ranjit, who was also later murdered, had alleged that Mehta, Goel and the police chased and killed Ajmer. In 2018, a judicial probe into the killing was initiated after Ajmer's mother Manjit Kaur filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The probe by the sub-divisional judicial magistrate of Jaitu found major inconsistencies in the police account, which it held were aimed at concealing the facts behind Ajmer's murder. What the police claimed The FIR filed on May 26, 2016, by then Jaitu SHO Lachman Singh stated that Ajmer, along with another armed man, opened fire on a night patrol team. In self-defence, a constable used his rifle and one of the gunshots hit Ajmer. The FIR stated that an SUV later arrived and took away the injured man. Ajmer's family, however, contested this, alleging that Mehta, Goel and the police officials chased and shot Ajmer dead. A murder FIR was subsequently registered on June 7, 2021. A special investigation team (SIT), led by DSP Jatsinder Singh, later again backed police's self-defence claim and recommended cancellation of the FIR. Ajmer's mother contested this and the sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM) rejected the cancellation report on July 30, 2024. The SDJM order also cited the judicial inquiry report, which found that the probe by DSP Jagdish Kumar Bishnoi was inadequate, raising suspicions that the probe was designed to protect the real culprits. The order mentioned that the police tortured Ajmer's brother Ranjit and filed false charges against him under the NDPS Act and Excise Act to pressure him. Ranjit was later acquitted in both cases. The SDJM order also noted that Ajmer's family was allegedly offered ₹35-40 lakh by SHO Lachman Singh to withdraw the case, and threatened when they refused.
Hindustan Times
15-07-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Rain inundates south Malwa districts
The rainfall in the entire semi-arid region of Punjab threw life out of gear on Monday. Even as the intermittent rain lashed the region since morning, many low-lying areas on arterial roads got heavily waterlogged. According to Punjab Agricultural University's observatory at the Bathinda-based regional research centre, 79 mm of rainfall was recorded till 2.30 the region has no dedicated stormwater network, sewage lines are used for rainwater drainage. There was a flood-like situation in most parts of Bathinda city, with water level reaching over five feet at some places. (Picture only for representational purpose) Roof of a house collapsed in Bathinda's Parasram Nagar locality. No one reportedly suffered injury in the incident. Many parts of Bathinda and other districts were inundated by afternoon as the municipal authorities have failed to come up with a solution to the chronic problem that plagues various towns and cities, including Bathinda, Ferozepur, Mansa and Abohar. There was a flood-like situation in most parts of Bathinda city, with water level reaching over five feet at some places. Low-lying areas such as Power House Road, Mall Road, Paras Ram Nagar, Sirki Bazaar and 100 Feet Road were the worst-affected by the rainfall. The area around the district administrative complex (DAC) that has the official residences of the deputy commissioner, senior superintendent of police (SSP) and judicial officials was flooded. Rainwater entered the women police station complex which is located opposite the DAC.
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Custodial death: Sought quashing of criminal proceedings: HC junks Bathinda cops' plea
The Punjab and Haryana high court on July 1 vacated a stay order granted to a petition filed by five Bathinda police personnel in a case of an alleged culpable homicide. The five police personnel had filed a petition in the HC on March 17, seeking the quashing of criminal proceedings initiated by a Bathinda district court on various grounds. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) After hearing a petition by the accused Punjab police inspector Navpreet Singh and others, justice Sanjay Vashisht stated that the court 'does not find any irregularity in the order passed by the magistrate (of Bathinda district), and, therefore, observe that the impugned order has been passed perfectly as per law.' After hearing the petition early this year, Justice Vashisht on April 5 had passed an interim stay order stating, 'further proceedings by the judicial magistrate first class-cum (JMIC)- illaqa magistrate, Bathinda, shall be kept in abeyance, till pronouncement of the order in the petition by this court.' After dismissing the petition yesterday, Justice Vashisht stated, 'It is held that there is no infirmity in the impugned (summon orders by the Bathinda court to the accused cops to face a trial) order dated February 18 this year which appears to have been passed in accordance with the provisions of the BNSS, 2023.' Rejecting the petitioners' argument of non-compliance of Section 231 of BNSS, 2023 (where the trial court supplies copies of statements and documents to the accused), the HC ruled that the impugned summoning order includes a description of the statements made by four relatives of the deceased. 'Statements of 12 witnesses, i.e., police officials, (Bathinda-based) advocate Surya Kant Singla, three medical officers, one forensic expert, two newspaper reports, and three nodal officers have also been recorded,' reads the court order. The five police personnel had filed a petition in the HC on March 17, seeking the quashing of criminal proceedings initiated by a Bathinda district court on various grounds. The trial court in Bathinda had served summon orders to the accused cops, who were shifted to Bathinda police lines after the judicial probe, multiple times, but they did not appear before it even once since February 27. It was alleged that the deceased, Bhinder Singh, a resident of Lakhi Jungle village in Bathinda, was picked up by the CIA-1 team for a case of allegedly possessing an illegal weapon on October 17. Though the police denied keeping him in custody, the judicial report relied upon circumstantial evidence to indict the cops. A judicial probe was initiated after the deceased's brother Satnam Singh, who was lodged in Ferozepur central prison, on October 19 last year wrote to sessions judge, Ferozepur, alleging that his brother was 'illegally detained, interrogated, and tortured to death by the police' after which the complaint was forwarded to Bathinda district and sessions judge for an inquiry. A fact-finding report by Bathinda JMIC Kuldeep Singh, filed on February 18 this year, had concluded that inspector Navpreet Singh, the then head of the crime investigating agency (CIA)-1, head constable Rajwinder Singh, constables- Gaganpreet Singh, Harjit Singh, Jaswinder Singh were responsible for Bhinder's death and attempted to cover it up with a fabricated story. The judicial probe had directed the police personnel to appear before it to face trial for murder, causing the disappearance of evidence of the offence and other offences as it concluded that Bhinder was kept by the CIA team in custody illegally in October last year and then they tried to fabricate the alleged murder into an accidental drowning. The judicial findings relied upon the digital, and forensic evidence, documents and a statement of a doctor to rubbish the police theory that Bhinder died due to drowning in a lake of the defunct Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Power Plant in the city area.
Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Bathinda trader accuses cops of damaging car
Jun 23, 2025 06:20 AM IST A Bathinda-based businessman accused Ludhiana traffic police of damaging his Skoda Rapid car during towing and refusing to get it repaired. The incident took place on Sunday when the vehicle was towed from Model Town market for alleged wrong parking. The businessman alleged that upon reaching the police lines, he found the engine severely damaged with oil leaking. (HT Photo) Gurpinder Singh, a resident of Rampura Phull, Bathinda, said he was in Ludhiana for kidney stone treatment. After parking his car and stepping out for shopping, he returned to find it missing. The vehicle had been taken to police lines by the traffic police. Gurpinder alleged that upon reaching the police lines, he found the engine severely damaged with oil leaking. Instead of taking responsibility, police officials allegedly offered to release the car without a challan. Gurpinder insisted on a challan as a record of the car being in their custody. Though a challan was finally issued, the police refused to bear repair costs from an authorised dealer and instead offered local repairs. Refusing the offer, Gurpinder said he will pursue legal action. Assistant commissioner of police (Traffic 2), Gurpreet Singh, said the department is liable to repair any vehicle damaged during towing. He assured the matter will be looked into and action will be taken accordingly.
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana influencer's murder: Two accused sent to 14-day judicial remand
A district court on Wednesday sent two accused, Jaspreet Singh and Nimratjit Singh, nominated in the murder of social media influencer Kanchan Kumari alias Kamal Kaur Bhabhi, to 14-day judicial remand. The accused, Nihangs, were produced in the court amid tight security. The two associates of the alleged mastermind in the crime, Amritpal Singh Mehron, were arrested by the Bathinda police on June 13. A local court granted their police custody for five days for questioning. Police said that Kanchan was killed by the three due to 'unauthorised moral policing' as the accused claimed that digital content created by the deceased was immoral and hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) Amneet Kondal said on Wednesday that the district police would soon submit a report to the Bureau of Investigation (BoI) to process it further to Mehron's extradition from the UAE to face trial in the murder case. 'It is a complicated process, and we are still in the process of completing the required documents,' she said. The SSP said that two mobile phones of the deceased, including an iPhone, and the passwords of the handsets were forcibly taken away from Kanchan before she was strangled. 'During the custodial interrogation, Jaspreet and Nimratjit feigned ignorance and we suspect that the two phones of the deceased are still in Mehron's possession,' she added. Meanwhile, Bathinda-based lawyer Harpal Singh Khara, who is representing the arrested duo in the court, told reporters that video showing Mehron claiming responsibility for the murder could have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI). 'We suspect a conspiracy by agencies behind it. Mehron's family has approached me to represent him in the court,' said Khara, who was accompanied by Mehron's father Baljinder Singh. Mehron, also a Nihang, flew to the UAE within hours of the murder of Kanchan on the intervening night of June 9-10. As per the Bathinda police, Mehron boarded a UAE-bound flight from Amritsar airport at 9.15 am on June 10. The police learnt about the escape of Mehron after a lookout circular (LOC) was issued against him on June 14. Kanchan's decomposed body was found by the police on the evening of June 11 after a few people spotted a foul was emanating from the vehicle abandoned at the parking of Adesh medical college and hospital at Bhucho town.
