Dehradun: The State Police Complaints Authority has issued a verdict against former IPS officer Lokeshwar Singh in a case of illegal detention and beating after stripping him naked at the Superintendent of Police’s office in Takana, Pithoragarh. The authority has declared Lokeshwar Singh, the then Superintendent of Police, Pithoragarh, guilty and has sent a recommendation to the Uttarakhand Government Home Department for action against him. It has also issued orders to provide the police officer with an adequate opportunity to be heard.
According to information, Laxmi Dutt Joshi, a resident of Mangalam Garments, Purana Bazaar, Pithoragarh, filed a complaint with the District Police Complaints Authority, Nainital, on February 8, 2023. It stated that on February 6, 2023, he was beaten by then-Superintendent of Police Lokeshwar Singh and six other police officers inside the Superintendent of Police’s office in Takana, Pithoragarh, resulting in significant injuries. He is undergoing treatment. His medical report and X-ray report show the injury marks.
On April 18, 2023, the then-Superintendent of Police Lokeshwar Singh swore an affidavit stating that Laxmi Dutt Joshi is a criminal. Cases have been filed against him in Kotwali Pithoragarh under the Youth Act, in Champawat under the Gangster Act for obstructing government work and assault, and in Kotwali Pithoragarh under the criminal intimidation. Action has been taken against him for breach of peace in a land dispute with villagers. Laxmi Dutt Joshi was summoned for questioning regarding the vehicle fire incident in the Kotwali Pithoragarh area. Laxmi Dutt denied any involvement in the incident. He was not assaulted on February 6, 2023.
On February 26, 2023, the victim submitted an affidavit alleging that Lokeshwar Singh, abusing his position and colluding with local party leaders, had filed false cases against him. All the cases are pending trial in court. He has not been convicted in any of the cases. One victim is the son of a sanitation worker employed in the police department. On February 6, 2023, he was assaulted while in police custody for allegedly setting fire to fake vehicles. No case has been filed against him. During the nearly three-year trial at the State Police Complaints Authority, both parties were summoned on different dates to present their respective sides.
On Wednesday, a bench comprising Justice N.S. Dhanik, Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority, and members Pustak Jyoti, Ajay Joshi, Mohan Chandra, and Daya Shankar Pandey delivered the verdict. In its deliberations, the bench found the then Superintendent of Police, Lokeshwar Singh, guilty of calling the victim to his office, stripping him naked, assaulting him, and holding him in the office for a long time. The bench ordered that a recommendation for taking disciplinary action against the former IPS officer be sent to the Home Department of the Uttarakhand Government.
