A day after a youth allegedly shot at a suspect in a lock-up at the Sahnewal police station, the police beefed up security in Sahnewal and surrounding areas on Saturday. They also held a flag march in Sahnewal, Focal Point, Dhandhari, Jamalpur and Sherpur area.
The police have related stories man hurt in firing in police station deployed around 500 personnel in these areas to avoid any untoward incident. Senior officials remained in the area for the whole day and conducted several meetings with representatives of different communities and appealed them to maintain law and order in the city.
Meanwhile, the police have suspended head constable Rajwant Singh, munshi of the police station, and transferred the sentry to the Police Lines on the charge of dereliction of duty.
The gunshot victim, Dalip Kumar, has been undergoing treatment at Satguru Partap Singh Apollo Hospital and his condition is stated to be critical.
The Sahnewal police have booked another man Harpal Singh in the case of attempt to murder, but they want to verify his role in the incident before arresting him.
The police have registered the case on the statement of head constable Rajwant Singh.
Rajwant Singh, in his statement, said he was present in his cabin in the police station when a large number of Sikhs thronged the police station seeking strict action against Dalip, who was taken into custody on Friday for disrespecting the holy book of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Gurdwara Sri Arjun Dev Sahib.
He added that Mandeep Singh and Harpal Singh entered the police station. Harpal stood in front of his cabin and Mandeep Singh managed to find his way to the lock-up, where Dalip was lodged and allegedly opened fire at him.
Rajwant Singh said, “As I heard the gunshots, I rushed towards the lock-up and nabbed the accused. Seeing Dalip lying in a pool of blood, I called a vehicle and sent him to a hospital.”
According to deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Gurpreet Singh Toor, police force has been deployed in the city and the situation is under control.
He said Mandeep Singh was arrested soon after the incident. “The police has been investigating the role of Harpal Singh, but he has been booked in the case,” he added.
As the news spread, residents of Ludhiana tried to stage protest and block traffic on the national highway near Sahnewal, but the police deterred them from doing so.
‘I am proud of my son’s deed’
Ludhiana: Kulwinder Kaur, mother of the youth, who had dared to shoot at a person lodged in the police lock-up on Friday, has said that she is proud of her son’s deed.
A large number of residents gathered at her house to console her after her son Mandeep got arrested.
Instead of expressing anxiety over the deed of her son, she said she was a proud mother of a brave son.
Talking to mediapersons, Kulwinder said what her son had done was right and was the need of the situation.
She said Mandeep was religious since his childhood and used to visit Gurdwara Sahib daily to pay obeisance, but he was short-tempered. He used to lose his temper if someone disrespected the religion.
According to sources in the intelligence department, Mandeep Singh had gone to Italy, but he was deported two years ago. His mother had also gone to Italy for a few years, but she too came back.
Mandeep Singh was very active during the bandh called upon by Sikh organisations, seeking clemency for terrorist Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was facing death sentence in the assassination case of chief minister Beant Singh.
The police had confined him, but later acquitted him. Mandeep Singh is married and has a son and a daughter.
