Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, Feb 23: In a clear act of demoralizing the police officers, who had displayed professionalism by risking their lives to rescue six police personnel held hostage by the people, police authorities today made SHO Bari Brahmana Inspector Bharat Sharma the scapegoat and suspended him without going into the facts that it was he who had dared to rescue the hostages and recover the police weapons snatched by the miscreants in Bari Brahmana yesterday.
Official sources confirmed that SDPO Bari Brahmana Kulbir Handa and SHO Bharat Sharma had stormed hideout of the miscreants, where they had held six police personnel including three from Himachal Pradesh and three from Bari Brahmana police station as hostages, and not only rescued all of them but also recovered the snatched weapons.
In the process, both Handa, Sharma and other police personnel including women constables were injured but instead of appreciating their courage and bravery, authorities this evening made Bharat Sharma the scapegoat and suspended him.
Sources wondered that how the police officers would perform their duties in future if the brave and honest officers, who successfully rescued the hostages and recovered the snatched weapons, were suspended instead of being honoured.
Admitting that suspension of the SHO has demoralized the police officers, who were performing their duties with honesty and dedication, sources said it could have serious repercussions and the SHOs and other officers would think twice before undertaking the daring operations.
Earlier, to defuse the tension created due to yesterday’s Gujjars and police clash during an anti encroachment drive at Sarore Adda falling under the jurisdiction of Bari Brahmana Police Station in Samba district that led to death of a civilian, the authorities today announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the bereaved family, besides assessing the damages caused to Gujjars and constitution of Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the death of the civilian in firing.
The authorities have also placed the SHO Bari Brahmana Police Station, Bharat Sharma under suspension with immediate effect while the magisterial probe into the incident was announced yesterday.
The assurance was given to the agitating Gujjars who blocked Jammu-Pathankot National Highway at Devika bridge for about two hours this afternoon and protested on it with the dead body of Mohammed Yaqoob who was killed in firing during the clash yesterday.
Soon after the dead body was handed over to family after postmortem the agitating Gujjars in large numbers along with the body rushed towards Vijaypur and squatted over Devika bridge in protest.
The protestors, raising slogans against the administration were demanding action against the police officers with due compensation to bereaved family and construction of Kullas damaged in fire.
The protestors were also joined by senior NC leaders and former Ministers Mian Altaf and Surjit Singh Salathia who too supported their demand and urged the Government to order a probe into the yesterday’s episode as well as action against police officers and compensation to bereaved family.
The protestors refused to burry the dead body and lift the Highway blockade in case their demands were not conceded. There was a huge traffic jam on Highway.
To defuse the situation the senior police officers led by DIG Jammu-Kathua Range Ashkoor Wani rushed to the spot. He was accompanied by SSP Samba, Joginder Kumar, Additional SP, Faisal Qureshi and other civil and police officers. Seeing the gravity of the situation and to prevent it from taking a critical turn, the authorities announced a compensation of Rs five lakh for bereaved family. They also announced a magisterial probe into yesterday’s episode and constitution of SIT to probe the killing of civilian and also assured the agitating Gujjars that the damage caused by fire will be assessed.
On this assurance the agitating Gujjars dispersed and took the body for burial to his native village Rakh Barodian.
Talking to Excelsior IG Jammu region, Danesh Rana said that SHO Bari Brahmana has been placed under suspension for his mishandling the situation yesterday.
He also confirmed the compensation to the tune of Rs five lakh will be paid to bereaved family. He said that he also rushed Bari Brahmana late last night and held a meeting with police and civil administration as well as the Gujjar leaders to defuse the situation. He said FIR was also registered in yesterday’s episode and people were given assurance of expeditious investigation.
DC Samba Sheetal Nanda said that magisterial probe was ordered yesterday and the authorities also assured the agitating gujjars to asses the losses.
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