A shocking incident unfolded inside the Dhanaula police station premises in Barnala district of Punjab when a young man consumed poison after levelling serious bribery allegations against the local police personnel. The youth had been visiting the police station to obtain a copy of the Daily Diary Report, commonly known as a DDR, for his burnt car. Following the sudden deterioration of his condition, he was rushed to a nearby hospital where medical treatment is underway.
Police Report Needed for Vehicle Insurance Claim
The victim has been identified as Jobanpreet Singh, a resident of Bhathlan village located within Barnala district. In a video statement circulated on social media platforms, Jobanpreet shared his ordeal and mentioned that his car had caught fire approximately 17 days earlier, resulting in extensive damage to the vehicle.
In order to process the insurance claim and recover the financial losses incurred from the fire, the insurance company required an official copy of the police DDR. Jobanpreet stated that he had been compelled to make repeated visits to the police station over several days just to procure this single essential document, yet his requests were consistently stalled.
Allegations of Extortion and False Accusations
Jobanpreet directly accused an official stationed at Dhanaula police station of demanding monetary gratification in exchange for handing over the DDR copy. He further alleged that when he resisted the bribe demand, the police officer turned hostile and accused him of deliberately setting his own vehicle ablaze.
In his complaint, the youth also touched upon an ongoing land dispute situated in Balian village of Sangrur district. Jobanpreet specifically named an area patwari in connection with this property issue and raised allegations of harassment against the revenue official as well.
Police Point to Ongoing Property Dispute and Depression
Presenting a contrasting narrative, a police official maintained that Jobanpreet was grappling with severe stress and depression originating from the land dispute. The police stated that Jobanpreet had initially approached the Dhanaula station on Wednesday regarding the vehicle damage.
According to the police, the DDR pertaining to his damaged car was registered on that very day, and he was instructed to collect the physical copy the following morning. The police insisted that the paperwork had not been denied or delayed deliberately.
Drastic Step Taken During Wait for Station House Officer
According to police accounts, Jobanpreet arrived at Dhanaula police station on Thursday morning to collect the document. At that moment, the Station House Officer was occupied with a scheduled video conference and advised Jobanpreet to wait for a short while.
Police officials stated that while waiting inside the police station, Jobanpreet ingested a toxic substance. Seeing his health deteriorate abruptly, the police staff immediately transported him to the hospital, where he remains under medical care and observation.
