SAS Nagar, December 27: Mohali Police today finally withdrew the false criminal case registered against senior photo journalist of Hindustan Times, Samuel N Dass, after finding that the allegations in the complaint lodged by two policemen were not based on facts.
In addition to this, the two Punjab Police personnel, Head Constable Hardarshan Singh and Constable Harjinder Singh, were found not performing their duties according to the norms and thus transferred to Barnala. A departmental inquiry has also been initiated against the two.
SSP Mohali, Gurinder Singh Dhillon in a press note, issued today, said, the investigation of the case was handed over to the SP Mohali Varinderpal Singh who recorded the statements of various persons related to the case. He added that according to the report, the case was not registered according to the facts and during the course of inquiry, no charge was proved against Samuel.
It is relevant to note that a criminal case was registered against Samuel, while he was doing his duty in Kharar and was allegedly manhandled by the Kharar police for clicking their pictures.
He was allegedly dragged to the police station Kharar and was beaten up by the policemen. While a case was registered against him on the complaint of one Gurdev Singh, resident of Badali village, on charges of restricting government officials from performing their duty, no counter case was registered against the errant police personnel on Samuel’s complaint.
Mediapersons were continuously protesting against the case registered against Samuel and had given a call of a nationwide protest if the case was not taken back and action was not taken against the guilty police personnel.
When contacted, Balwant Takshak, convenor of the 11-member journalists’ committee constituted to pursue Samuel’s matter with the authorities, said, “It is the step taken by Punjab Police, which is right, but late. I hope DGP S S Virk issues certain instructions to the district police chiefs, so that such an incident is not repeated againâ€.
