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Colonel Bath and his son were allegedly assaulted by four Punjab Police inspectors and their armed subordinates over a parking dispute outside a dhaba in Patiala on March 13.

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday sought a report on the investigation by Chandigarh Police into the alleged assault on Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath over a parking dispute outside a dhaba in Patiala by Punjab Police personnel on the night of March 13.

The high court bench of justice Rajesh Bhardwaj acted on the plea from Col Bath, who has filed a fresh petition alleging “reticence and reluctance” to impartially investigate the FIR by the Chandigarh Police special investigation team (SIT) and has demanded that probe be withdrawn from the present SIT and entrusted to either senior officers of Chandigarh Police or the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Col Bath and his son were allegedly assaulted by four police inspectors and their armed subordinates when they were at a roadside eatery near Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala. His family said the duo was standing outside their car and having food when the policemen in civvies approached them and asked the colonel to move his vehicle so that they could park theirs. When the colonel objected to their rude tone, one of the police officers punched him, and soon the other policemen started thrashing him and his son. The colonel’s arm was broken, and his son suffered a cut on his head. The case was handed over to Chandigarh Police by the high court on April 3, acting on the plea from the Colonel

The plea levels allegations against the present SIT and questions the manner it is proceeding. It alleges the petitioner was summoned multiple times but accused only once. It said the digital video recorder (DVR) of the dhaba adjoining Harbans Dhaba, where the incident had taken place, which too had captured the complete incident, has gone missing; but till date no serious attempt has been made by the investigating agency to retrieve the same.

“It is being stated with utmost disappointment that even despite lapse of more than three-and-a-half months of the registration of the FIR and lapse of three months since the probe has been handed over to Chandigarh Police, neither a single accused has been arrested so far, nor any accused has been associated with the investigation,” the plea said, adding the contention of the petitioner regarding any conscious effort on the part of the investigating agency can be cemented from the fact that no non-bailable warrant, no PO or any other legal proceeding which would be indicative of some conscious and sincere effort, has been initiated on the part of the investigating agency.

“A strong order has been passed by the high court and police have been questioned over the delay. The SIT has been asked to file a report on July 16,” the family said in a public statement.

The detailed order of the proceedings is awaited.

The matter will be taken up on Wednesday when Chandigarh Police and the Punjab government have been told to respond to the issues raised by Col Bath.

Justice Rajesh Bhardwaj pulls up the Chandigarh Police for ‘deliberate delay’, asks why no arrests were made despite bail plea being rejected.

ustice Bhardwaj observed that the apparent reluctance of the Union Territory Police to take effective action “defeats the very purpose” of the case having been transferred for impartial inquiry. (Source: File)

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday came down heavily on the Chandigarh Police for failing to arrest any of the accused Punjab Police personnel in the March 13 assault on a serving Indian Army officer, despite anticipatory bail having been denied nearly two months ago.

Hearing a fresh petition filed by the victim, Colonel P S Bath, Justice Rajesh Bhardwaj asked, “Why have the accused not been arrested even now?” Terming the delay intentional, the judge observed that the conduct of the police was “setting the wrong example” and amounted to protecting the accused.

The court directed Manjeet Sheoran, Superintendent of Police, Chandigarh, to be present in person on July 16 with a detailed explanation for the continued inaction, despite the investigation having been handed over to the Chandigarh Police by a previous court order more than four months ago.

The assault and its aftermath

Col Bath, currently serving as Deputy Secretary at the Cabinet Secretariat in New Delhi, was allegedly assaulted along with his son by a group of Punjab Police officials near a dhaba on the Patiala-Samana Road on the night of March 13-14. The officer claimed he was left in a semi-conscious state, and despite multiple calls by his wife and brother-in-law to the local police and then Patiala SSP Dr Nanak Singh, no First Information Report (FIR) was initially registered.

It was only after intervention from the Governor of Punjab that an FIR (No. 69 dated March 22, 2025) was finally registered at Civil Lines Police Station, Patiala, under several serious provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. However, the officer alleged that another FIR (No. 65 dated March 15) had already been registered on the statement of the dhaba owner, possibly to pre-empt the complaint.

Following concerns about bias and procedural lapses, Col Bath had moved the high court, which on April 2 directed the transfer of the investigation to an IPS officer of the Chandigarh Police not belonging to the Punjab cadre. This came after the court expressed dissatisfaction with the initial handling of the case and the delay in FIR registration.

Despite that, the petitioner told the court on Monday, no arrests have been made, and none of the accused officials have even been associated with the investigation. The petition also highlighted that one of the key accused, Inspector Ronnie Singh, had his anticipatory bail plea dismissed on May 23, yet no coercive action had followed.

Accusations of bias and pressure

The petition accused Chandigarh Police officers of deliberately shielding the accused under pressure from senior Punjab Police officials. It claimed that efforts were being made to dilute the case and possibly drop the non-bailable offences to enable bail. “Even now, all the accused roam free in Patiala, influencing witnesses and posing a threat to the petitioner’s family,” the plea stated.

It also raised concerns about the manipulation of medical records to create a false narrative. The petitioner alleged that the medico-legal reports (MLRs) of the accused police officials showed signs of overwriting, possibly fabricated to cover up the attack. He said these documents had not been sent for forensic examination, and the doctor concerned had not been questioned.

Fake DDR, harassment, and witness intimidation

The petition went on to allege that a fake Daily Diary Report (DDR No. 58 dated March 13) was entered at PS City, Samana, to create an alibi for one of the accused, and that one Chandigarh Police officer, Inspector Gian Singh, who is part of the investigation team, has repeatedly intimidated the complainant and his son, treating them like the accused instead of victims.

The petition also pointed out that Col Bath had been summoned several times by the police, despite being the victim, while the accused officers had only been summoned once – and no further action had followed.

Link to fake encounter?

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The petition alleged that all the accused in the assault case are also named in a separate petition pending before the high court regarding a suspected fake encounter that allegedly occurred just hours before the assault on Col Bath. This, the petitioner argued, explained the Punjab Police’s interest in shielding the accused, who may otherwise face serious criminal proceedings in both cases.

Justice Bhardwaj observed that the apparent reluctance of the Union Territory Police to take effective action “defeats the very purpose” of the case having been transferred for impartial inquiry. He directed that SP Manjeet Sheoran be present in court on July 16 with a personal affidavit explaining the failure to arrest the accused.

Describing the delay as intentional, Justice Bhardwaj asserted the conduct of the police amounted to “setting the wrong example” and protecting the accused

Tribune News Service

More than three months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court entrusted the investigation of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath assault case to the Chandigarh Police, the Bench today directed the superintendent of police heading the special investigation team to be present in the court on the Army officer’s plea. The officer was seeking an independent probe into the matter, preferably by the Central Bureau of Investigation, on the ground as the Chandigarh Police had failed to conduct a “fair and free investigation”.

The direction came as Justice Rajesh Bhardwaj admonished the Chandigarh Police for its failure to arrest any of the accused Punjab Police personnel. Describing the delay as intentional, Justice Bhardwaj asserted the conduct of the police amounted to “setting the wrong example” and protecting the accused.

In his petition, Col Bath asserted the investigation of the instant case was transferred to the Chandigarh Police on April 2. “It is being stated with utmost disappointment that even despite lapse of more than three and a half months of the registration of the FIR and lapse of three months since the investigation has been handed over to the Chandigarh Police, neither a single accused has been arrested so far, nor any has been associated with the investigation.”

The petitioner added that conscious effort on the investigating agency’s part can be cemented from the fact that no non-bailable warrant, no PO proceeding or any other legal proceeding which would be indicative of some conscious and sincere effort, has been initiated on the part of the investigating agency concerned.

Bath further contended that when the bail application of one of the accused, Ronnie Singh, came up for hearing, the high court specifically questioned the investigating officer whether the Chandigarh Police would arrest the accused police official if anticipatory bail was dismissed. “The answer was in affirmative but as worrisome and disappointing as it can be, no such arrest has been made till date,” he asserted.

Bath alleged that the facts clearly pointed towards pressure being exerted upon the Chandigarh Police by the “top brass of the Punjab Polic

The State Police are same all over . Let’s see what that SP of Chandigarh Police says in Court to marrow. . How will he justify his inaction of 3 and half months of neither arresting nor summoning the accused Punjab Police Personnel .

FIINAL FAREWELL TO YOUNG IAF WARRIOR:SQ LDR LOKENDER SINDHU :NOT A SINGLE NETA/POLITICIAN TURNED UP: A DISGRACE

A first for UT: Sainik School coming up in City Beautiful

SOME INFORMATION ABOUT OTA CHENNAI

Pilots’ body objects to release of report, wants role in inquiry

BBMB halts move to ready houses for CISF personnel

J-K authorities seal roads leading to Martyrs’ Graveyard in Srinagar’s Nowhatta

SIKHS ALWAYS REACHOUT TO THE NEEDY : THE GOVT/POLITICIANS FAIL TO SHOWUP THEY ONLY COME WITH TEAM OF CAMERAS

ADG STRAT COMN PRINT EDITION UPDATE: 13 JUL 2025

MoD/ Armed Forces

Sq Ldr Lokender Sindhu 3 yrs old lost his life while flying an old Aircraft Jaguar . He left behind his one yr old son and wife Surbhi and old father.

NO Single Neta /politicians attended the funeral which took place in Rohtak Haryana ,nor any higher echelon from IAF /MOD. what a disgrace and disrespect shown to a fighter Pilot of IAF .

16-acre campus of Sec 23 govt school to be converted into defence edu institution

In a move aimed at expanding the access to quality education and nurturing future leaders of the nation, the Chandigarh Administration has decided to have Sainik School here. The school will be set up in collaboration with the Sainik School Society (SSS) under the Union Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The development assumes significance as this will not only be the first Sainik School in Chandigarh but also the first such institution to operate under government — Government Sainik School. All other such institutions in the country are operating in the private sector.

The upcoming school in the city will also be developed as Model Sainik School. Of the total 41 such schools in the country, one is in Nabha (Punjab), three in Haryana (Rohtak, Kurukshetra and Fatehabad) and two in Himachal Pradesh (Hamirpur and Solan).

The brainchild of Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, the city’s maiden Sainik school will come up on the sprawling 16-acre campus of the Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS) in Sector 23 here.

The UT Education Department has submitted an online application to the SSS with the proposal to convert the GMSSS-23 into a Sainik school.

The UT Education Secretary, Prerna Puri told The Tribune that Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth conveyed to the Chandigarh Administrator on June 2 that the Centre has approved the setting up of 100 new Sainik schools in the partnership mode with NGOs/private/government schools. These schools will come up in a graded manner, starting from Class VI onwards with an effort to cover as many states and UTs as possible, under the aegis of the SSS in the country.

“Some of the states/UTs either have not applied for or applied but none of their applications was found fit by the approval committee,” the MoS Defence wrote in a demi-official letter, while urging the UT Administration to apply online for approval of the new Sainik school in Chandigarh by July 14.

Seth said this initiative would provide an opportunity to the students of Chandigarh and its nearby areas to undergo quality education based on the ethos of Sainik schools, which will help them become disciplined citizens and future leaders in different spheres of life, including the defence forces.

Acting swiftly on the proposal, the Chandigarh Administration constituted a committee of the School Education Department to work out and complete the modalities for applying and establishing a Sainik school in the city.

It has submitted a preliminary report with recommendations on the suitability of the sites and requirements for further action.

Director School Education (DSE) Harsuhinder Pal Singh Brar, who chaired the first meeting of the committee, disclosed that the proposed school will be affiliated to the SSS to create a system that combines academic rigour with a degree of discipline. There will be increased focus on value-based education, which will enable the children to develop pride in the rich culture and heritage of the nation.

He said the admissions to the school will be conducted through All-India Sainik Schools Entrance Examination (AISSEE) held annually by the National Testing Agency (NTA). “The school will provide all the required facilities as per the norms of the SSS,” Brar added.

“It will be an exemplar of quality school education in India — a model of excellence. The idea is that this school will serve as a benchmark for quality education, infrastructure, governance, extra-curricular activities and learning outcomes,” he said.

CLASSES FROM NEXT SESSION: GUV

“We are optimistic that our first Sainik school will begin classes from the next academic session. The initiative will meet the growing demand for a Sainik school in Chandigarh. It will focus on effective physical, psycho-social, spiritual and intellectual development of students, so they become the youth with leadership qualities.”

said Gulab Chand Kataria, Punjab Governor-cum-UT Administrator

HERITAGE BUILDING

The GMSSS-23 building, established in 1955, holds significant heritage value as it was among the first few structures constructed at the beginning of Chandigarh’s development. At that time, construction across the city was still in progress, so this building served a critical temporary role. The main hall functioned as the first office space for eight key departments, including sanitation, design, and others. It essentially operated as a multipurpose office hub.

The architect of the building was Jane Drew, a notable figure in the design of Chandigarh.

The current lecture hall, one toilet and the staff room were once part of a BEd college. In fact, this building was shared by three educational institutions at one time.

Established as OTS Madras– 15 Jan 1963
(7 OTS were set up during WW-II, between 1942 to 1945, however all closed down at the end of war but produced four India Army Chiefs)
Post-independence, two OTS were set up at Pune & Madras in 1963 to train ECOs however OTS Pune closed down in 9 May 1964.
1st Commandant – Brig Ram Singh (Brig AMM Nambyar was 3rd Commandant at our time)
1st OTA alumni Commandant – Maj Gen SD Awasthi
1st cadet to arrive at OTS – Lt Gen OP Kaushik, EC1
1st OTS course – EC1 – 15 Jan 1963 – 442 cadets. EC12 – Last EC course – Apr 1965 (Alternate EC courses were passing out from OTS & IMA)
1st SSRC course – SS1 – 2 Feb 1965
1st SSRC Technical course – SSRC (T) 1 – Oct 1969
1st Women course – WSES 01 (“Women Special Entry Scheme” with SS-58) – 21 Sep 1992 (25 cadets)
OTS Madras granted permanent status in 1985
OTS renamed as OTA Chennai – 1 Jan 1988
Presidential Colour presented by Sri R Venkataraman – 18 Aug 1990
1st PVC (and only) – Maj Ramaswamy Parmeshwaran(P) – SS-12, 8 Mahar, Sri Lanka
1st Ashok Chakra (so far 8) – Maj D Sriram Kumar, 39 Assam Rifles, [Lt Navdeep Singh (P), 15 MLI, Capt Jas Ram Singh, 6 Rajput, Capt Jasbir Singh Raina, 10 Guards, 2/Lt Cyrus A Pithawalla, 17 JAK, Lt Col Harsh Uday Singh Gaur, 10 Bihar, Maj Mukund Varadarajan (P), 44 RR & Col Jojan Thomas (P), 45 RR]
1st MVC (so far 10) – 2/Lt SS Samra (P), 8 Guards (My Coursemate), Brig Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, 23 Punjab, Maj PS Ganpathi, 8 Mahar, Maj KG Chatterjee, ¾ GR, 2/Lt Rajiv Sandhu, 7 Assam, Maj Padmapani Achatya (P), 2 Raj Rif, Col Sonam Wangchuk, Ladakh Scouts, Lt Balwan Singh, 18 Grenadiers, Lt Keishing Clifford Nongrum (P), 12 JAK LI, Capt Pratap Singh (P), 75 Med.
1st KC (so far 22) – Capt Haripal Singh Ahluwalia (P), 7 Jat (My Coursemate)
VrC – 63 (10 from my Coursemate), SC – 119, SM – 587
OTS had initially two Battalions – Ranjit Singh Bn & Shivaji Bn. Subsequently 3rd Bn Maharan Pratap added in 1969 and later reverted back to original two Bns.
As on date 2 Bns & 7 Companies (5 for Gentlemen Cadets & 2 for Lady Cadets)
Ranjit Singh Bn – 4 Companies – Kohima, Jessami, Basantar & Phillora (Lady Cadets)
Shivaji Bn – 3 Companies – Meiktila, Naushera & Zojila (Lady Cadets)
Jai Hind
Arvind Nautiyal
SS8

The Airline Pilots’ Association of India urges government to include its representatives in the investigation process

Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service

The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA-India) on Saturday raised serious concerns over the transparency and direction of the investigation into the Air India AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad, following the release of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report.

The pilots’ body objected to the report being shared with the media without official attribution, calling it a breach of protocol that undermines public trust. The association also questioned why experienced personnel, particularly line pilots, have not been included in the investigation team so far.

The ALPA-India took particular exception to a report in The Wall Street Journal published on July 10, which referenced inadvertent movement of the aircraft’s fuel control switches — a key element of the ongoing investigation. The pilots’ body demanded clarity on how such sensitive information was leaked to international media.

In a statement, the organisation flagged compliance concerns related to a serviceability bulletin mentioned in the AAIB report regarding the fuel control switch gates, originally issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The ALPA-India sought clarity on whether the bulletin’s recommendations were implemented before the flight.

It further criticised what it termed a “presumption of pilot guilt” reflected in the investigation’s tone, categorically rejecting any such bias and calling for a fair, fact-based inquiry.

Reiterating its long-standing demand, the ALPA-India urged the government to include its representatives in the investigation process, at least as observers, to ensure transparency and accountability. “Investigations continue to be shrouded in secrecy, undermining credibility and public trust,” ALPA-India president Capt Sam Thomas stated.

Lalit Mohan Tribune News Service

The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has put on hold the repair and maintenance of houses earmarked for allotment to CISF personnel at its Nangal township. The move comes after the state Assembly on Friday passed a resolution against the deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the BBMB projects.

Last month, the board, in a letter issued to its officials at Nangal, had earmarked houses in CC, HH, H, GG and DD blocks of the township for allotment to CISF personnel. The board employees already residing there were asked to vacate those houses. They were promised accommodation in other parts of the township.

Orders were issued to the officials concerned to get those houses vacated and issue tenders for their repair and maintenance. Family accommodation was to be provided to 142 personnel in the township, including one commandant, two assistant commandants, three inspectors, eight sub-inspectors, 20 assistant sub-inspectors, 35 head constables and 73 constables. The remaining CISF personnel were to be accommodated at Talwara township. However, the move has now been put on hold.

Meanwhile, partner states Haryana and Rajasthan continue to support the move to deploy CISF personnel at various BBMB projects. The board was yet to take a final decision on the issue, sources said. The maintenance work of houses earmarked for CISF personnel had been put on hold fearing budget misuse objections by Punjab.

The Punjab Government, having 52 per cent share in the BBMB, contributes budget accordingly. However, it has decided not to contribute budget for the CISF deployment. The Union Home Ministry had asked the BBMB to pay Rs 7.5 crore as charges for deploying 296 CISF personnel.

In 2021, the Punjab Government had given assent for the CISF deployment. However, in May this year, there was a row over water sharing with Haryana. CM Bhagwant Singh Mann led a dharna of his party workers at the Nangal Dam till May 20. The BBMB authorities were not allowed to release extra water to Haryana from the Punjab share. While the controversy was going on, the Union Home Ministry okayed the CISF deployment and asked the BBMB to deposit Rs 7.5 crore as charges.