Punjab police face backlash over alleged custodial torture of Sikh youth

Allegations of custodial torture involving a Sikh youth in Sangrur, Punjab, have triggered a political confrontation between the opposition Congress party and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Mohanjit Singh, a resident of Sheron village, claims he was detained and subjected to third-degree torture, including electric shocks, after waving a black flag from his rooftop to protest the government’s handling of the drug menace.

Opposition leaders, including Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, have visited Singh in the hospital to express solidarity. Bajwa condemned the incident as a “shameful reminder of how easily basic human rights can be trampled upon” and has announced a large-scale protest and rally for September 6.

In response to the controversy, Punjab Police have transferred a DSP and attached three other officers to police lines. However, Sangrur police have rejected the allegations of torture, with SSP Ravjot Kaur Grewal stating that the youth is a criminal facing eight FIRs for serious offenses.