The Punjab Police on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into the incident in which a middle-aged woman was forcibly tied to the roof of an official jeep as a ‘punishment’ after she reportedly objected to her husband being taken away by the policemen in Amritsar.
In a CCTV clip of the incident, the woman is seen falling from the speeding jeep and running away from the spot. Reports said she was rushed to a nearby hospital in the Amritsar district with the help of local residents who saw her falling from the roof of the police jeep.
A spokesperson of the Director General of Police Suresh Arora told The Statesman the matter has been referred to senior superintendent of police Amritsar (rural) for investigation.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who holds the home portfolio, has warned of strict action against the policemen involved in the incident “This is not Punjab culture. I will not allow this. They (policemen) will have to face the consequences,” the CM said when asked about the action in the case.
Punjab Police is facing flak for this incident with the Shiromani Akali Dal president, Sukhbir Singh Badal alleging that the state police has gone out of control. “There can’t be anything worse than what they have done,” he said while referring to the incident.
As per the information available, the police had gone to the woman’s house in the Chawinda Devi locality of Amritsar to question her father in- law in connection with a property dispute case.
Since the victim’s father-in-law was not in the house, the cops wanted to take away her husband which she vehemently opposed. Angered with this, the Punjab Police personnel then forcibly tied the woman on the roof of their jeep and were apparently taking her to a police station.
The matter came to light after several video clips of the shocking incident emerged showing the woman being carried on the roof of the speeding police jeep. In one of the videos, she can be seen falling from the roof of the jeep as the speeding vehicle took a sharp turn in an area of Amritsar district.