Leaders and workers of the Indian National Congress staged a protest outside the SSP office in Mohali under the leadership of former Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, alleging misconduct and high-handedness by officials of the Phase-1 police station. They claimed that the SHO and a sub-inspector were unnecessarily harassing ordinary people at the behest of an Aam Aadmi Party MLA. Responding to the allegations, Phase-1 SHO Sukhbir Singh said the charges were completely unfounded.
Leaders and workers of the Indian National Congress staged a protest outside the SSP office in Mohali on Wednesday under the leadership of former Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, alleging misconduct and high-handedness by officials of the Phase-1 police station. A large number of Congress leaders and supporters participated in the protest, raising slogans against the Punjab government and the police administration.
Addressing the gathering, Sidhu said, “At the behest of an Aam Aadmi Party MLA, the SHO and a sub-inspector of the Phase-1 police station are unnecessarily harassing ordinary people.” He alleged that a hardworking woman shopkeeper was intimidated, abused and humiliated at the police station instead of being given justice.
The woman shopkeeper from the Phase-1 rehri market claimed that some shopkeepers had been harassing her for a long time. She said that when she approached the police station hoping for justice, “the police instead threatened and sent me back without taking action”. She alleged that when she again went to file a complaint recently, police officials used abusive language and pressured her, and also called the market committee president and shopkeepers to the station where they were allegedly mistreated.
Another shopkeeper, Davinder Saini, said that during a recent anti-encroachment drive conducted by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority and the municipal corporation, the market president allegedly got the flooring outside his shop demolished in his absence. He claimed that when he protested, he was verbally abused and even called “psycho”. He said he later complained to the police, who checked the CCTV footage and other evidence. “I am being falsely defamed and mentally harassed by putting pressure on me,” he alleged.
Sidhu demanded strict action against the officials involved, stating that the SHO should be transferred immediately and the sub-inspector suspended to ensure a fair investigation. He warned that if action was not taken, the Congress leadership would launch a state-level protest next week and submit a memorandum to the Governor and the DGP. “If required, we will also approach the High Court for justice,” he said.
Among those who addressed the protest were Amarjeet Singh Jeeti Sidhu, District Congress Committee president Kamal Kishore Kala, Block Congress urban president Jaspreet Singh Gill, Advocate Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, Mohinder Singh (retired inspector and district president of the Punjab Police Pensioners Welfare Association), SGPC member Advocate Paramjeet Kaur Ladran, and councillor Harjit Singh Rajesh Lakhotra and several others.
When contacted, MLA Kulwant Singh said, “I have absolutely no knowledge about this issue. Former minister Balbir Singh Sidhu himself has been involved in such activities earlier, so perhaps he assumes everyone else does the same.” Kulwant Singh added that he had learned about it only today. “For the Sidhu brothers, it seems I appear everywhere even in their dreams and in every issue.”
Responding to the allegations, Phase-1 SHO Sukhbir Singh said the charges were completely unfounded. “The matter is actually a dispute between two shopkeepers. One complaint was filed by the woman against a shopkeeper, while another complaint was filed against her and the market president,” he said. He added that the complaints had been forwarded from the SSP office and both parties were called to the police station to present their sides. “Both groups showed videos against each other and started arguing inside the police station. We intervened and advised them to resolve the matter peacefully,” he said. The SHO said that CCTV cameras are installed in the police station, and no police official had misbehaved with anyone. He added that Mohali Mayor Amarjeet Singh Jeeti Sidhu had also visited the police station earlier and agreed that the issue should be resolved according to law, but the protest appeared to be an attempt to pressure the police.
