Shahkot bypoll: Want to arrest Cong candidate Ladi, will go to HC if pressured, says SHO

The station house officer (SHO), inspector Parminder Singh Bajwa, who came into the limelight after registering an FIR against Congress candidate for the Shahkot assembly bypoll, Hardev Singh Ladi Sherowalia, said on Monday that he did the right thing and “will stand by it”.

“Everybody knows the illegal activities of Ladi, and even a sting video shows that he is involved in it. I will arrest Ladi when I join duty,” the SHO said, adding that if there is pressure for cancellation of the FIR, he will go to the Punjab and Haryana high court.

Asking about alleged hurry in lodging the FIR — it was registered early morning, hours after Ladi was named candidate — Bajwa said that if he did not do it, “the FIR won’t have been registered at all due to the pressure”.

“The answer (to Election Commission communique for response to allegations), that ‘Ladi has no involvement in illegal mining’ was ready with my staff, but I didn’t sign it. I preferred to lodge the FIR against Ladi. He asks for ‘mahina’ (monthly payment) from all officers, but I refuse to give him that,” he alleged. Ladi has denied all allegations.

Bajwa further said he had called up the senior superintendent of police (SSP), Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, to inform him about lodging the FIR: “He said he was busy with his NRI guests, and asked me to look into the matter.” He added, “I also called the SDM, mining officer and tehsildar, but nobody was available. Lodging the FIR is not such a big thing as, after receiving a complaint, an SHO can do it.”

On his resignation that he withdrew later, Bajwa said that he had sent it to SSP Bhullar, “but, instead of accepting it, he pressurised me to write another note saying I had written the resignation due to stress”. He named an SP who “asked me to go on leave for two days citing high blood pressure”. “Now again my superiors forced me to take leave for another five days,” he said, alleging that “till May 30 (when bypoll will be over), the department won’t allow me to join duty or can even get me transferred out”.

He said the police department has withdrawn his security and official weapons, “but I have my own licensed weapons and I am prepared to face any threat”.

The SHO denied having talked to SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema and leader of opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira prior to registering the FIR. They have not denied it.

SSP Bhullar didn’t comment on the issue.