Harsimrat Kaur Badal Seeks Privilege Action Against Mansa SSP Officer

Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has requested the Lok Sabha Speaker to initiate breach of privilege proceedings against Mansa SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary, alleging obstruction of her official duties regarding a drug victim's body recovery case.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal Seeks Privilege Action Against Mansa SSP

Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Saturday requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to initiate breach of privilege and contempt of the House proceedings against Mansa SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary for obstructing her from discharging her duties as an MP and trivialising her grave concerns over the forcible abduction of the body of a drug victim.

According to the release from Shiromani Akali Dal, the Bathinda MP, who wrote to the Speaker on Saturday to formally submit a notice under Rule 223 and seek his consent to raise a question of breach of privilege and contempt of the House, also called for summoning a report from the Punjab government vis-à-vis the entire issue surrounding the snatching of the body of Daljit Singh from the bereaved family by use of force by the police.

Details of the Alleged Obstruction

She claimed that she called for summoning of all records in the case, including the relevant FIR, inquest and post-mortem records as well as the whereabouts of Daljit’s father Jarnail Singh who was taken into custody by the Mansa police. MP Badal, who also submitted the recorded exchange with SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary on October 29 to the Speaker, said it amply demonstrated the officer’s dereliction of duty as well as efforts to deny her an opportunity to ascertain the facts of the case and pursue the grievance responsibly.

She alleged that during her exchange with the police officer, the latter interrupted her repeatedly and characterised her account as a “wrong narrative” twice, besides calling her “misguided” and her concerns as “undue”. Badal also claimed that the SSP claimed the police had taken over the body to “maintain law and order” and stated that the family should collect it themselves and that the police had “no role” in this process and that the body was lying at AIIMS, Bathinda.

Controversy Over Victim's Father and Police Action

She alleged that the officer also denied knowledge of all photographic evidence on record showing Daljit’s father Jarnail Singh being taken away by the police and advised that a missing person report be filed in the case. She claimed that the SSP also did not have any justification for removing Jarnail’s body forcibly from the family without their permission and without following any laid down procedures.

Urging the Speaker to give his consent to launch a breach of privilege action against SSP Vaibhav Chaudhary, the MP also briefed him that the case concerned the death of a marginal farmer – Daljit Singh following drug consumption. She alleged that instead of acting against the drug suppliers, a case of murder was registered, and when the bereaved family protested against this and sought to take Daljit’s body to a protest site in Mansa where the family of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was holding a ‘dharna’, the police indulged in highhandedness. She alleged that not only was the body of Daljit forcibly snatched from his family, but the latter’s father – Jarnail was also taken away by uniformed police personnel.

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