Three Punjab cops get interim pre-arrest bail in firing case

A local court has granted interim anticipatory bail to three cops of the Punjab Police — Mela Singh, Aman Preet Singh and Tasvir Singh — in a case of alleged firing at Willow Café in Sector 10 in February this year. The court has directed them to join the investigation.

The case was registered on a complaint filed by Balbir Ram, the head chef at the cafe. The complainant had stated that four men had arrived at the cafe around 5 pm on February 16 and took a table on the terrace. They ordered food and drinks. After a short while, two men joined them. They were accompanied by a security guard, who stood outside the terrace gate.

Balbir Ram said while they were having food around 5.35 pm, he heard a loud sound resembling bursting of a firecracker. He rushed to the terrace and saw the security guard standing near the table. He said he could not comprehend what had happened.

The next day, he saw the CCTV footage of the terrace and noticed that one of the persons had pulled out a pistol from his pocket and fired a shot into the air. The CCTV footage was handed over to the police along with the complaint.

A cause under Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act, and Sections 125 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at the Sector 3 police station.

During the investigation, the police found that a gunshot had been fired. Later, the police issued a lookout notice against some suspects, including a son of a senior officer of the Punjab Police.

In the anticipatory bail, the counsel for the cops argued that they had no role in the whole alleged episode. After hearing of the arguments, the court allowed interim anticipatory bail to them. The court has adjourned the case to April 16.

Chandigarh