Arrested IG Paramraj Singh gets 4-day police remand

BATHINDA: A Faridkot court on Tuesday sent Punjab Police IG Paramraj Singh Umranangal on four day police remand. Umranangal, who was presented under tight security in the court of judicial magistrate Ist class (JMIC) Ekta Uppal, was arrested on Monday afternoon from police headquarters at Chandigarh and kept at Kotkapura police station.
He has been arrested in a case registered at Kotkapura police station on August 8, 2018 under charges of attempt to murder for firing and cane charge on protesters at Kotkapura light point on October 14, 2015.He was where arguments went on for over one and half hours.
The prosecution had demanded police remand for 10 days, claiming a weapon and other record pertaining to the case is still to be recovered. However, the defence opposed, it saying the IG had already appeared before SIT on two occasions.
Although Umranangal has been arrested in a case of police action at Kotkapura, his role is also being probed in case of police firing at protesters at Behbal Kalan village, where two protesters (Krishan Bhagwan Singh and Gurjit Singh) were killed. Before Umranangal, former SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma was arrested by SIT on January 26. Then posted as commissioner of police in Ludhiana, the police officer was present at Kotkapura and seen speaking on his mobile phone when cops used force on protesters.
Only a few days ago, SIT had called him for investigation. The case in Kotkapura incident was registered after Ajit Singh, 22, of Chhana Gulan Singh village in Barnala, who was shot in the thigh, had recorded his statement.
Meanwhile, Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini had raked up Referendum 2020 proposal, which is an opinion poll to see how many Sikhs are in favour of Punjab's independence.