HC warrant officer raided Marado police post for ‘illegally detaining’ truck driver after mishap

The warrant officer from the Punjab and Haryana High Court raided the Marado police post, falling in the jurisdiction of the Sadar police station in the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate on Thursday night. The raid was conducted in connection with the alleged illegal detention of a truck driver detained by the police after an accident on Lohara canal bridge on May 21 night.

Transporter Lucky from Mohali had filed a petition in the High Court, alleging that the police kept his driver Lakhwinder Singh in illegal custody for over 36 hours. However, the warrant officer, Mahipal Walia, didn’t find driver inside the police post.

Marado police post in-charge ASI Sunil Kumar said truck driver Lakhwinder was taken to the police post after the accident but persons accompanying the driver helped him in escaping from the police post. When asked about the allegation of keeping the driver in illegal detention for over 36 hours, ASI termed these as false and motivated.

He said a case was registered against the driver and efforts were on to trace him.

The truck owner, Lucky, said on May 21 night his truck (HR659167) carrying 20 tonnes of bananas from Maharashtra to Jagraon, had met with an accident on the Lohara canal bridge. The mishap occurred when a canter (DL1LAF2718) and a car behind the truck were overtaking the truck and the canter rammed into a scooter from the rear and the car further rammed into the canter from the rear and then it hit a motorcylist. The truck driver to prevent collision with the car, turned the truck towards the left side and unfortunately the truck rammed into Tata 407 loaded with bricks.

Lucky said: “The canter, which rammed into the scooter while overtaking the truck, was at fault but the police detained the truck driver at the Marado police post. No action was taken against the Delhi-based canter driver by the police, which let him go without facing any action but our driver was kept in illegal custody for over 36 hours.”

“Since the police were favouring the Tata 407 driver, we were forced to reach a compromise by paying a heavy amount to the vehicle owner but we refused to pay any amount. Instead, we asked the police to register an FIR against our driver but the police were interested in compromise only. On Thursday night, the High Court warrant officer conducted a raid at the police post but driver Lakhwinder was not found there. The police had kept him at some undisclosed location. We want the CP, Ludhiana, to intervene and take action. We have recording of a police official admitting presence of the driver in the police post. CCTV cameras of the police post can expose police post officials,”revealed transporter Lucky.

Ludhiana