Mystery shrouds Punjab cop’s death

A Punjab Police assistant sub-inspector who was leading a police team to prevent farmers from holding a rail roko at Geobala village in Tarn Taran district, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at the village on Wednesday.

Police said the village residents had held the raiding police party hostage on Tuesday before ASI Kulbir Singh, in charge of the Manochahal police post, was found dead in a drain near the village.

Tarn Taran Civil Hospital Senior Medical Officer Dr Shamsher Singh, however, told The Indian Express that there were "no apparent injury marks" on the ASI's body and added that the "possibility of the ASI suffering a cardiac arrest while running to save himself from the mob could not be ruled out." Dr Singh cautioned that the actual picture would only emerge after the post- mortem is conducted.

"The ASI was brought to the hospital this (Wednesday) morning in his uniform. His turban was intact as were his shoes. Traces of soil and grass on his uniform suggested that he had fallen," Dr Singh added.

Police have reportedly initiated proceedings under section 174 of Criminal Procedure Code and sent the body to the Tarn Taran civil hospital for the post-mortem. Tarn Taran SSP K J S Dhillon said police had registered a case under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code against nearly 10 people, who have identified, and and a number of unknown others. "We have rounded up some persons, while raids are on to nab the others. Things would be clear only after the interrogation of the accused," Dhillon added.

Farmers in the village, meanwhile, alleged the ASI "forcibly" entered the house of an activist in an "inebriated" state. ASI Kulbir Singh had reportedly denied the accusations in front of the villagers before he went missing and was later found dead.

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