The Punjab Police have been in the spotlight for some time due to incidents of personnel engaging in excessive violence against civilians. Cases such as the Colonel Bath assault, a custodial death in Bathinda and now the Batala incident have raised serious concerns.
SNPNEWS.IN Update, August 6, 2025: The Punjab Police, tasked with ensuring public safety, have been under scrutiny due to the conduct of their personnel. The latest example of their behavior was witnessed in Batala, where two Bathinda Police sub-inspectors, Mandeep Singh and Surjit Kumar, brutally assaulted a journalist. The journalist, a victim of this attack, is hospitalized and in critical condition.
Notable Police Assault Cases Between 2023-2025:
● Muktsar Sahib Lawyer Assault Case (2023): Advocate Varinder Singh Sandhu and a resident of Sohnewala village were arrested following a complaint by CIA in-charge Inspector Raman Kumar Kamboj. The complaint alleged that on the night of September 14, the two attacked a police team on Tibbi Sahib Road, tore their uniforms, and obstructed official duties. The incident stemmed from a minor road rage dispute where the advocate’s SUV hit Inspector Kamboj’s personal car.
On September 15, the advocate was taken to the CIA complex, where he was allegedly physically tortured and forced into “unnatural sex” with the co-accused. A medical examination confirmed 18 injuries on his body. On September 15, the advocate was presented in court and sent to judicial custody.
On September 16, he demanded a re-examination, alleging inhumane treatment at the CIA complex. During his court statement on September 21, he named seven police officers, including an SP-rank officer and a DSP. On September 22, Muktsar’s Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Raj Pal Rawal took cognizance of the advocate’s 13-page complaint and ordered the SHO of Sadar Muktsar Sahib to register a case and begin an investigation.
On September 27, 2023, three police officers—SP Ramandeep Bhullar, Inspector Raman Kumar Kamboj, and Constable Harbans Singh—were arrested. The Punjab government transferred Faridkot Range DIG Ajay Maluja and Muktsar SSP Harmanbir Singh Gill.
● Bathinda Custodial Death of Bhinder Singh (October 2024): Bhinder Singh, a resident of Lakhi Jungle village in Bathinda, was detained by the CIA-1 team on October 17, 2024, on suspicion of possessing illegal weapons. The police claimed Bhinder jumped into a lake near a thermal plant and drowned.
However, a judicial inquiry rejected this claim, finding that Bhinder was illegally detained and killed through “waterboarding,” a severe torture technique.
Bhinder’s brother, Satnam Singh, who was incarcerated in Firozpur jail, filed a complaint with the sessions judge in October 2024, prompting a judicial inquiry by Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMIC) Kuldeep Singh. The investigation report, submitted on February 18, 2025, confirmed that CIA-1 Inspector Navpreet Singh and four other constables (Rajwinder Singh, Gaganpreet Singh, Harjeet Singh, and Jaswinder Singh) tortured Bhinder and attempted to pass off his death as a drowning incident.
The judicial report ordered the prosecution of the accused for murder, destruction of evidence, and other crimes. The five accused were summoned to court on February 27, 2025, but failed to appear, leading to the issuance of bailable warrants on February 28, 2025, and non-bailable warrants on March 14, 2025.
● Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath Assault Case (March 3, 2025): In Patiala, Punjab, three Punjab Police officers—Inspector Sukhwinder Singh, Sub-Inspector Ranjit Singh, and Sub-Inspector Arunjit Singh (Sadar Police Station, Patiala)—assaulted Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath (a retired army officer) and his son, Angad Singh Bath, over a minor parking dispute that escalated into a violent clash. The officers, in plain clothes, allegedly attacked the duo, causing injuries. CCTV footage of the incident went viral on social media, showing the police’s aggressive actions.
Based on Colonel Bath’s complaint, an FIR was registered against the accused officers at Sadar Patiala Police Station under IPC Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 34 (common intention).
On March 25, 2025, Colonel Bath filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, alleging a lack of faith in the Punjab Police’s investigation and demanding a CBI or independent agency probe.
On April 3, 2025, Justice Harpreet Singh Brar’s bench transferred the investigation to Chandigarh Police, directing it to be completed within four months under an IPS officer (AGMUT cadre) and excluding Punjab Police cadre officers. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) was led by Chandigarh’s Superintendent of Police, Manjit Shioran.
On July 16, 2025, Justice Rajesh Bhardwaj’s bench expressed dissatisfaction with the Chandigarh Police SIT’s investigation, noting it was protecting the accused officers and creating “loopholes.” The court transferred the investigation to the CBI, stating that the police probe was “tainted” and aimed to benefit the accused.
The accused officers challenged the July 16 High Court order in the Supreme Court, seeking to quash the CBI investigation. On August 4, 2025, Justices Sanjay Kumar and Satish Chandra Sharma dismissed the appeal, upholding the CBI probe.
The court strongly criticized the police’s actions, stating, “Such lawlessness is unacceptable,” and added, “Respect the army personnel who serve at -40 degrees on the border, ensuring you sleep safely at home.” The court noted that despite the rejection of the accused’s anticipatory bail, they had not been arrested, indicating bias in the investigation.
● Narinderdeep Singh Custodial Death (May 2025): Narinderdeep Singh was detained by the CIA-2 team on May 23, 2025, on suspicion of drug-related activities. The police initially claimed his death was due to a road accident or drug overdose.
However, his family noticed torture marks on his body, raising doubts about the police’s claims. Narinderdeep’s friend, Gagandeep Singh, posted a video on Facebook on May 24, 2025, alleging that CIA-2 picked them up during a trip from Firozpur to Bathinda, implicated them in a drug case, and tortured them. Gagandeep claimed he initially lied to the family about a road accident under police pressure, but Narinderdeep’s death was due to torture.
On May 24, 2025, an FIR was registered at Canal Colony Police Station against ASI Avtar Singh Tari and Narinderdeep’s friends, Gagandeep Singh and Happy Luthra, under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).
On May 26, three more CIA-2 officers—Head Constable Harwinder Singh, Senior Constable Lakhwinder Singh, and Constable Gurpal Singh—were added to the case. The four accused CIA-2 officers were suspended on May 26, 2025, but had not been arrested as of August 6, 2025.
On June 17, 2025, Narinderdeep’s wife, Nancy, and the Anti-Murder Action Committee protested near Nanaksar Gurdwara in Ludhiana, demanding a murder case against the accused officers, a high-level investigation, a government job for the family, and compensation.
Batala Journalist Assault (August 6, 2025): Two Bathinda Police sub-inspectors brutally assaulted a journalist in Batala. The incident’s video has gone viral on social media, with people questioning the Punjab Police’s conduct.