Departmental inquiry found the allegations to be true, the police administration took strict action and placed the concerned personnel on the line with immediate effect.
In action by the Shahkot police has come under scrutiny, prompting the department to take strict action and place three officers, including the SHO, on the line.
After a departmental inquiry found the allegations to be true, the police administration took strict action and placed the concerned personnel on the line with immediate effect. A thorough investigation is underway, and anyone found guilty will face departmental action.
Reports indicate that on April 9th, Case No. 90 was filed at the Shahkot police station under the Excise Act against an individual named Akram, alleging that 35 liters of alcohol were found in his residence. After this event, CCTV videos circulated widely on social media, depicting police taking a drum (container) from their vehicle and bringing it into the defendant’s residence, before subsequently bringing the same drum back outside.
In the initial interrogation, the workers mentioned that containers needed to be organized externally to retrieve the lahan, and that this drum was brought indoors for recovery reasons. Video recordings from the CCTV have shown this assertion to be untrue. The video depicts a police unit in a silver EcoSport vehicle transporting a blue drum.
The drum was not empty, as it was being carried by two people. A total of seven police officers were captured on camera, four in uniform and three in plain clothes. The seizure took just 13 minutes to record the video, and the drum was sealed and taken away.
Unexpectedly, the defendant, Akram, was absent from his residence during the operation. The issue also comes up: how did the police determine that the drum held 35liters of alcohol without using a fork throughout the entire13-minute operation? Nonetheless, due to the harm to the police’s reputation caused by the viral video, a fair investigation has been mandated.
In this instance, SHO Inspector Balwinder Singh, ASI Sukhwinder Singh, and Lady Constable Hawanpreet Kaur have been assigned to line duty promptly.
Superintendent of Police (Investigations) Vineet Lahawat (IPS) has been assigned the responsibility of thoroughly investigating the entire matter. Officials have made it clear that if any employee is found guilty, legal action will be taken against them. According to villagers, Akram is a laborer and a political activist. Two cases were registered against him, one for assault and the other related to religious sentiments. They say they don’t know why the police wanted to implicate him.
This case has sparked discussion in political circles. Senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia also tweeted, questioning whether the police fabricate their own cases. Meanwhile, police officials say the person against whom the case has been filed has a criminal and excise background.
