Shahkot bypoll: Inspector in FIR row has history of bipolar disorder, alcohol abuse

At the centre of a controversy after registering a case of illegal mining against Congress’ Shahkot bypoll candidate Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia, inspector Parminder Singh Bajwa was repeatedly admitted in a Ludhiana private hospital for treatment of “increased alcohol intake” for 160 days since May 2015, documents reveal.

He is now in police custody, in medical care, after being arrested from the court complex in Jalandhar on Friday. He had entered the court with his revolver and allegedly assaulted a security official over it.

He had said he had come to seek security as he feared for his life after registering the FIR against Ladi, a leader of the state’s ruling party. He was also, on Friday, transferred by the Election Commission as Mehatpur SHO in Shahkot over disciplinary issues.

It must be noted that, after the FIR on Ladi resulted in a furore from the state government and the ruling party, Bajwa held a press meet where he even took digs at chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s personal life.

According to record of his medical admission, attached by his family in the police files in Jalandhar after he was arrested, he was first admitted to a private hospital in Ludhiana for 94 days from May 9, 2015. He underwent treatment for ‘bipolar mood disorder’ (mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs) and ‘alcohol dependency’. 

He was discharged on August 10, 2015, but was again was admitted for 21 days in October that year. In the ‘reason for admission’ column, the record of the hospital shows, “The patient was admitted with chief complaints of aggression, irritability, craving, headache, suicidal thoughts and insomnia. He started alcohol 14 years ago. In December 2014, he started drinking nearly one bottle per day and was admitted to a Jalandhar (name deliberately not being published) due to alcohol overdose.” 

The record was also submitted by Bajwa’s lawyers in the court to take a plea to shift him to a deaddiction centre in Jalandhar. A local court had sent Bajwa to judicial remand till May 25. 

The record further states that Bajwa “relapsed” and “started taking 7-8 beers per day”. “He was admitted in our retreat hospital for three months. But he again started 7-8 beers per day after two months,” reads the hospital record. 

In June 2016 too, Bajwa was admitted to the hospital on the complaints of “aggression, irritability, vomiting, craving for alcohol, hematemesis (vomiting blood) one episode, continuous drinking”. Bajwa’s latest admission in the hospital was for 19 days till December 12, 2016. 

Question over posting ‘unfit’ officer 

Yet, he was posted as SHO in Fattudhinga police station of Kapurthala district in April last year, barely four months after his latest hospital admission. From there, he was shifted to Shahkot as SHO in February this year, until April 26 when he was shifted to the economic offences wing. 

A number of police officers posted in Jalandhar district admit that when Bajwa was posted as Shahkot SHO, “almost everybody” was aware of “his serious psychological disorder”. 

“And then, to the utter shock of many in the department, Bajwa’s name was among the three suggested by the Jalandhar Rural SSP to the Election Commission to post as SHO in Mehatpur (in Shahkot segment) after the poll code of conduct was enforced,” said a senior officer posted in Jalandhar.

The EC picked him, and two days later he registered the FIR against Ladi after the EC asked the police to look into allegations against Ladi. The “haste” in registering the FIR, around 4 in the morning, has been cited as proof of his “bias” against the Congress.

The SSP could not be contacted for comment. Jalandhar range inspector general of police (IGP) Naunihal Singh, when contacted, refused to say anything on the matter, “I was posted here only a month back.” 

Bajwa admitted to de-addiction ward

On Saturday evening, inspector Parminder Singh Bajwa, in the eye of storm after he registered an FIR against the Congress candidate for Shahkot bypoll, was admitted to the de-addiction ward of the civil hospital at Jalandhar.

He was brought to the hopital on Friday night from Kapurthala Central Jail where he was lodged after court sent him to judicial custody. He was arrested on Friday from the Jalandhar court complex after he allegedly assaulted a cop and carried his revolver inside a court. 

Bajwa, during his medical examination at the jail, spoke about his medical history of getting treatment for “depression”. “The advocates for Bajwa handed over his past medical records of psychological problems. When doctors at the jail examined him, they advised advanced psychiatrist treatment, following which he was brought to the civil hospital,” Praveen Sinha, commissioner of police, said. 

The civil surgeon formed an 11-member committee comprising two psychiatrists and nine specialists from different fields for his treatment.