Punjab cop who mistakenly shot youth suspended

MOGA - Punjab police Friday suspended an official who mistook a 19-year-old for a criminal and shot him.

According to police, head constable Baljeet Singh had fired at Budh Singh, who was sitting in his car with his fiancé at a roadside near Daudhar village here Thursday. The cop said he thought that Budh Singh was part of a gang of wanted contract killers.

Following the shooting, Budh Singh was admitted to the Dayanand Medical College Hospital in Ludhiana where doctors said he was stable.

“Police have started a departmental probe into this incident and till the completion of the inquiry we have suspended head constable Baljeet Singh. I am myself supervising the inquiry proceedings and would try to complete it at the earliest,” Superintendent of Police Gurmel Singh told IANS.

He added: “The accused official, in his statement, has said that police had got information that a hard-core criminal was roaming in the area with a woman friend. He said that he had given many warnings to the victim before actually firing in the air.”

Budh Singh, who lives in Canada, had come to India to visit his family in Maachhike village in this district.

However Budh Singh’s family have accused the police of inaction and demanded strict action against the guilty official.

“They treated my brother like a criminal. Nobody gave any warning and started firing without any provocation. Three shots were fired and one of them hit Budh in his back. Now police are trying to shield the accused,” said a cousin of the victim.