Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Sunday condemned the killing of 22-year-old Dalit youth Lovepreet Singh alias Labha, a resident of village Bangiwal, Mehatpur, during a police raid to arrest him. Khaira demanded the registration of a criminal case for murder against the police officials involved in the incident.
Khaira also urged the Punjab and Haryana High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the incident and ensure an independent judicial probe. Releasing a 21-second video clip of the incident, Khaira stated that the circumstances surrounding Lovepreet's death raised serious questions about the conduct of the Punjab Police and exposed the dangerous culture of impunity prevailing under the Aam Aadmi Party government.
While the police have attempted to justify the shooting as an act of self-defence, the victim's family and villagers have alleged that Lovepreet was mercilessly beaten and then shot by the police party, Khaira said. They have further alleged that he was prevented from receiving timely medical aid. These conflicting versions make it imperative that the truth be established through an impartial judicial investigation rather than an internal police inquiry, he added.
The killing of a young Dalit man at the hands of the police cannot be brushed aside by merely ordering a departmental inquiry, Khaira asserted. When a citizen dies due to police firing, the law demands the highest standards of transparency and accountability. The police cannot be allowed to investigate themselves and then grant themselves a clean chit, he said.
The Bholath legislator further stated that even if a person was wanted in a criminal case, the police had no authority to act as judge, jury and executioner. The emergence of videos from the spot and the widespread protests by villagers further underline the need for an independent investigation supervised by the judiciary, Khaira said.
Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab is increasingly being turned into a police state where police excesses are routinely ignored and protected by the government, Khaira alleged.
