Allegations baseless: SHO Jhajjar Kotli
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 8: Several truck drivers and cleaners today staged a demonstration against the alleged assault on one of their colleagues by a police officer.
SHO Jhajjar Kotli, Azad Manhas, however, refuted the allegations, claiming, the protest was organised as part of a well-planned strategy by an infamous group he didn’t accept the bribe from for letting them carry out some illegal business in his area.
The truckers gathered outside the Hari Singh Park here and resorted to sloganeering against the SHO Jhajjar Kotli, claiming the latter attacked a 60-year-old truck driver, Ajit Singh, on September 1, while he (trucker) was returning to Jammu from Kashmir.
According to the agitators, the police officer even dragged the Sikh driver from his hairs without telling the latter what was his crime. Click here to watch video
“Hairs are considered sacred by the Sikhs and we won’t tolerate these selective attacks on our community members,” said Sandeep Singh, one of the protestors, as he claimed that his community members are being routinely targeted based on their religion.
Sandeep Singh asked, “What was the crime of 60-year-old Ajit Singh? When police didn’t recover anything suspicious from his vehicle on September 1, there was no point in beating him to the pulp. SHO Jhajjar Kotli has no right to beat a heart and sugar patient without telling him his crime.”
Singh demanded strict action against the SHO Jhajjar Kotli.
The victim of the alleged police brutality, Ajit Singh demanded justice, claiming, “SHO Jhajjar Kotli must be dismissed from the services as he tortured me without letting me know what my crime was.”
“I didn’t violate any law. Neither anything suspicious was recovered from vehicle. Then I fail to understand why I was beaten mercilessly by the police officer,” asked Ajit Singh.
Terming the allegations as baseless, SHO Jhajjar Kotli said that a powerful group has been trying to demoralise him by resorting to such tactics.
“Why would I beat a 60-year-old man? Had I done so, the accused could have approached the SSP Jammu the same day. Why he is speaking after so many days?” asked SHO Jhajjar Kotli, Azad Manhas.
According to him, a powerful group, that was trying to break a deal with him to start some illegal business in his area, has started propaganda against him by conniving with certain people.
The SHO said he had recently seized a property belonging to this group and his honest actions irked the group to start a vicious campaign against him.
“I am only paying for being honest and upright,” he said.
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