CHANDIGARH, July 16— The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday transferred the investigation into the alleged assault of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing serious lapses and inaction by the Chandigarh Police.
The move comes more than three months after the court had initially assigned the case to the Chandigarh Police. Col Bath had sought an independent probe, preferably by the CBI, arguing that the investigation was neither fair nor free, and that the Chandigarh Police had failed to arrest even a single accused despite the passage of time.
“The conduct of the Chandigarh Police amounts to setting the wrong example,” Justice Rajesh Bhardwaj observed earlier this week, just before ordering the CBI takeover. He criticized the delay in action as “intentional” and said it appeared to shield the accused rather than bring them to justice.
In his petition, Col Bath said the case was transferred to the Chandigarh Police on April 2. “It is being stated with utmost disappointment that even after more than three and a half months since the FIR and three months since the transfer of investigation, not a single accused has been arrested, nor associated with the probe,” the officer told the court through his counsel Preetinder Singh Ahluwalia.
“No non-bailable warrant, no proclamation of offender proceedings, or any other legal action suggesting a sincere effort by the investigating agency has been initiated,” the petition added.
Bath also cited a court hearing on the anticipatory bail application of one accused, Punjab Police official Ronnie Singh. “The court specifically asked the investigating officer whether the Chandigarh Police would arrest the accused if bail was denied. The answer was yes, but as worrisome and disappointing as it can be, no arrest has been made to date,” the petition stated.
The Colonel alleged that Chandigarh Police was under pressure from the senior ranks of the Punjab Police and that this influence had compromised the probe.
The alleged assault occurred on the night of March 13–14 in Patiala, when Col Bath and his son were reportedly attacked by four Inspector-rank Punjab Police officers and their armed teams without provocation. According to the complaint, the officers snatched his official identity card and mobile phone, issued threats of “fake encounters,” and physically assaulted the duo in public view, under CCTV surveillance.
Bath, who serves in a sensitive post under the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India, claimed that his distress calls to senior officials went unanswered. Instead of acting on his complaint, the police allegedly registered a fake FIR for “affray” against unknown individuals based on a third-party version. It was only after the officer’s family approached higher police authorities and even the Governor of Punjab that a proper FIR was registered—eight days after the incident.
The High Court’s decision to shift the probe to the CBI is being seen as a strong rebuke of police inaction and a signal that accountability will be pursued irrespective of institutional affiliations.
