Patiala, March 17 —Twelve Punjab Police personnel, including three inspectors, were suspended on Monday after assaulting an army colonel and his son over a parking dispute in Patiala. A departmental inquiry has been ordered against them.
Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nanak Singh expressed regret and apologized, stating that the suspended officers—Inspectors Harry Boparai, Ronnie Singh, and Harjinder Dhillon—were removed from duty immediately. “The matter is being probed in detail, and justice will be done,” he said.
The attack took place outside a dhaba near Rajindra Hospital on the intervening night of March 13 and 14. Colonel Pushpinder Bath, posted at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi, sustained serious injuries, including a broken arm and facial wounds. He remains under treatment at the Military Hospital in Patiala.
Initially, the police registered an FIR against unidentified individuals. “They did not name the personnel as accused in the case at first. The FIR was only filed after senior army officers intervened,” Colonel Bath said.
At a press conference, Jaswinder Bath, the officer’s wife, recounted the attack, stating that her husband and son were eating outside their car when police personnel in civilian clothes arrived and demanded the vehicle be moved.
“When my husband objected to their language, one of them punched him. Then, all of them assaulted him and my son,” she said.
CCTV footage of the incident circulated widely on social media, sparking outrage.
Retired army officers condemned the attack and called for strict action against the police personnel.
