Congress demands CBI probe into assault on Colonel Bath in Patiala

“The policemen were seen kicking Col Bath and even threatened to encounter him before leaving. Can 10-12 police personnel threaten Army soldiers who protect the borders, risking their lives?” Colonel (Retd) Rohit Chaudhry, chief of the party’s ex-servicemen department, said while addressing the press at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi. He said the attack an act of “thuggery” and insisted on strict action against the accused.

Congress spokesperson Alok Sharma accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government of turning the state into a “police state” and alleged that “Colonel Bath’s medical treatment was deliberately delayed to downplay their severity and avoid invoking Section 307 of the IPC (attempt to commit murder).”

“The situation is so alarming that security had to be provided to the affected family following the Governor’s intervention. Protection against whom? Against uniformed thugs of Punjab Police, not gangsters,” Sharma added.