September 10, 2007

Human rights lawyers protest Punjab's former DGP Virk's arrest

MOHALI: Human rights organisations on Monday came out in support of the embattled former Punjab DGP S S Virk alleging his arrest to be "against law".

Several counsels owing allegiance to Global Human Rights Council and Lawyers for Human Rights made an unsuccessful attempt to meet Virk, hospitalised due to "high blood pressure" at the Civil Hospital here.

Virk's arrest was "not in accordance with law", Arvind Thakur, chairman of Global Human Rights Council said, adding "it is not mentioned in any law that the advocates or anybody else can not meet the arrested person."

"Punjab police before arresting Virk did not even take the Delhi Police into confidence as the officer was apprehended from a guest house of Maharashtra Government at the national capital," Thakur said.

"Certain sections of IPC were included in the FIR against Virk on the same morning at the time of his arrest," he alleged questioning the role of Punjab Vigilance Bureau.

"These people (Punjab police) have cordoned off the entire hospital as if some terrorist had been arrested, A S Chahal, chairman of Lawyers for Human Rights said.

However, Mohali Police chief R S Khatra said that the security in and around the civil hospital had been spruced up as "we don't want to take any chances".

The lawyers expressed concern that Punjab police would oppose Virk's medical check up in Post Graduate Institute for Medical Sciences and Research (PGIMER) at Chandigarh, as has been desired by Virk's counsel.

Virk, considered to be close to former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, was arrested from Delhi by Punjab Vigilance Bureau under various charges, including harbouring terrorists.

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