Former IPS officer indicted by Police Complaint Authority

Former IPS officer indicted by Police Complaint Authority

B.D. Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, Dec 11

The Uttarakhand Police Complaint Authority has passed a verdict against a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer for an alleged assault on a businessman, The police officer has quit the service and proceeded to join a United Nation’s Organisations.

After police complaint authority delivered a decision to take action against IPS officer and former Champawat and Pithoragarh SP Lokeswar Singh, the complainant Laxmi Datt Joshi, a readymade cloth trader of Pithoragarh town has expressed his hope that the law will prevail to give him justice.

“It began from Champwat district in 2020, when I had gone to Jal Nigam office for my drinking water supply problem as the employees present there under influence of liquor, they put me inside a room and called the police for obstructing government work. The Jal Nigam employees with the help of police, next day lodged a case against me and the then Champawat SP, Lokeshwar Singh charged with Goonda Act on February 24, 2021. My fault was to register my complaint with Jal Nigam  for irregular water supply,” said Joshi.

Joshi, who is also an RTI activist, further said that the next phase of issue began on February 12, 2023, when the SP Lokeshwar Singh was transferred to Pithoragarh as SP.” As I live near police line in Pithoragarh, I had put a complaint with police that the sewer water was leaking from sewer line police quarters and spreading openly on road. Finding no action on my complaint, when I had gone to office of SP, Lokeshwar Singh, on  February 2023,  on seeing me there he started abusing me  and ordered some policemen to beat me that damaged my  spectacle, Soon the SP also entered the room and asked policemen to beat me. “As I,am also a RTI activist, I phoned my colleagues, with whose interference the police released me at 3 pm, I, went to district hospital for medical check up which confirmed police beating,” said Joshi.

“The Police Complaint Authority took up hearing from 2023 and after several hearings, delivered the decision yesterday and recommended action against  Lokeshwar Singh,” said Joshi.

According to Laxmi Datt Joshi, during the process of fighting for justice, his shop got closed and his house had to be sold and his daughter went ill. “If justice is done, it could become an example for other officers also to treat civilians with respect and honour ,” said Joshi.