Bathinda: DSP booked in graft case withdraws bail plea
VB, on July 1, had arrested DSP’s assistant reader red-handed accepting ₹1 lakh bribe, and subsequently nominated the officer in the case
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Ravinder Singh Randhawa, who was nominated by the state vigilance bureau (VB) in an alleged corruption case, on Monday withdrew his bail application filed before a Bathinda court.
The case was to be heard by the additional district and sessions judge, Surindner Pal Kaur.
On July 1, the VB had arrested a personal security officer (PSO) attached to Randhawa, who was then posted as Bhucho DSP, red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh. The accused was identified as the head constable Raj Kumar, who was also working as the assistant reader to the DSP.
Kumar was arrested from the DSP office area, which is located on the premises of the women’s police station, located near the district administrative complex (DAC). As per the VB, the cash was recovered from the official vehicle of the then Bhucho DSP. A case under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act was registered against Raj Kumar at VB’s police station of Bathinda range.
Later, during the investigation, the VB found involvement of the DSP in the case, and Randhawa was subsequently nominated in the alleged crime.
The accused police officer filed a bail application in the court on September 29. After that, Randhawa was transferred from Bhucho to the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) at Ladha Kothi in Sangrur district on October 10.
The complainant in the case, a resident of Kalyan Sukha village in Bathinda district, had approached VB, accusing the assistant reader of demanding a bribe.
In his statement to VB, the complainant said that during his ongoing dispute over agricultural land, the opposite party had registered a false case against her husband and both her sons at the Nathana police station.
After her representation, the Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) marked the complaint to then Bhucho DSP Randhawa to probe the matter.
“Subsequently, Raj Kumar, reader, made two phone calls from the complainant’s mobile phone and informed her that he had spoken to the DSP regarding this re-investigation and only the DSP’s signature on the report was pending. To get the FIR cancelled, he demanded a bribe of ₹2 lakh,” read the VB statement issued in July.
The VB added that further, the accused Raj Kumar told the complainant that ₹1 lakh should be paid immediately as the first instalment, so that he could get the work done.
“The complainant recorded this conversation on her mobile phone and submitted it to the VB. After verification of the complaint, a VB team from Bathinda range laid a trap and apprehended HC Raj Kumar while accepting the bribe,” added the VB statement issued in July.
VB authorities in Bathinda, who are investigating the matter, have refused to comment on the action initiated against the DSP.
