Retired SP wants security back, HC not to interfere

The Punjab and Haryana high court has refused to interfere in a Punjab Police decision in which the security cover given to former superintendent of police (SP) Ajmer Singh Romana was withdrawn post retirement.

The high court bench of justice RK Jain said in its order that the petitioner had brought nothing on record to prove that he had received any kind of threat to his life and liberty from terrorists, and so, there was no reason for the court to interfere in the decision of the government. The SP, who retired in 2009, had moved court alleging threat to his life and submitted that while posted as assistant sub-inspector (ASI) at Nabha Sadar in Patiala district in 1984, he had been injured by terrorists of the Babla group, who had killed constable Basant Singh in the attack. Romana had joined the police service in 1976.

He further submitted that as station house officer (SHO) in Khanna, he had also looked into 1988’s Daheru case (in which a police party engaged in an encounter shortly before Operation Black Thunder had abandoned its weapons and fled); and been given a personal security officer, who had been withdrawn recently. The government, on the other hand, submitted that it had no provision for security cover to retired police officers, except in the case of threat perception.

“The security is also subject to regular periodic review, according to which it may be reduced, retained, increased or removed, depending upon the threat perception,” the state government claimed, arguing that the additional director general of police had evaluated the threat perception to Romana before the latter’s security cover had been withdrawn.

The high court observed that it had been more than 30 years since the petitioner had last received any threat from the Babla terrorist gang after registering a case in 1984. It observed that similarly, after the Daheru incident, the petitioner had served safely as SHO at Tapa (Barnala), Dhuri (Sangrur), Walianwali (Bathinda); and as deputy superintendent of police and SP at Rupnagar, Majitha, Bathinda and Khanna.