Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 12

A day after Col AS Salathiya, Commanding Officer of a Battalion stationed at Jalandhar Cantonment, got booked by the city police on the charges of abetment to suicide of his cook, the court of inquiry has been marked to Brig Anurag of the 350 Brigade.The defence PRO today issued a press release saying that the members doing the Court of Inquiry have established contact with the family members and will conduct it at the earliest. The release also reads, “A high-level Staff Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the suicide of Sepoy (Cook) Lakhwinder Singh of 112 Infantry Battalion Territorial Army (Dogra) Battalion located at Jalandhar Cant. Army will conduct an impartial inquiry into circumstances under which the Sepoy committed suicide on March 10 in his official accommodation.”Meanwhile, the city police have shot off a missive to GOC of Vajra Corps to hand over his custody to the police. SHO Jalandhar Cantonment Baljinder Singh said, “We have written to the corps commander to handover the custody of the Colonel. There is every possibility that they will hold the inquiry at their own level first. We will get a final word from them on Monday.”

JAWAN’S SUICIDE: ARMY ORDERS COURT OF INQUIRY

ALANDHAR: A day after police charged a colonel with abetting the suicide of a jawan deputed with him in the cantonment area, the army also ordered a court of inquiry on Saturday. Victim Lakhwinder Singh (32), a 112 Dogra jawan from Sangyal in Hoshiarpur district and a cook in the house of colonel AS Salathya, had hanged himself on Thursday. In a press release issued here, the army said members of the court of inquiry had contacted the jawan’s family, which says that on Wednesday night, the colonel had abused Lakhwinder Singh and threatened to fire his son.