Ludhiana: A major traffic artery in the heart of this city was paralysed for four hours on Friday as protesters demanded justice for a taxi driver allegedly tortured in police custody.Bharat Nagar Chowk was blocked from 11.30am until 3.30pm by various organisations representing 28-year-old Ranjodh Singh. The demonstration was only lifted after senior police officials agreed to file first-information reports (FIRs) against four police officers and a group of civilians involved in the initial dispute.Allegations of TortureThe incident began on Jan 26 following a minor traffic accident near Old Session Court Chowk. Ranjodh Singh, a resident of Chander Nagar, stated that his taxi had collided with another vehicle, leading to a verbal spat. Despite his offering to pay for the damages, he claims to have faced assault by civilians, custodial abuse, humiliation, and forced documentation.The other driver called several associates who allegedly beat up Ranjodh Singh on the scene of accident. Police took him to the Kailash Nagar police post, where he claims he was “beaten up and tortured”, in short “treated mercilessly”. He alleged he had been later kept in a lockup at the Division Number 8 station in freezing temperatures with his hands handcuffed.He was released the following morning only after being coerced into signing blank papers. “I raised an alarm at the civil hospital, accusing the police of targeting me, but they just took me back to the station,” Ranjodh Singh said. His family added that they were barred from entering the police post for several hours while he was being held.Traffic Chaos and Police ResponseThe protest caused significant disruption across the city, forcing police to implement major traffic diversions at Jagraon Bridge, the bus stand, and Bhai Bala Chowk. The standoff ended after additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP-III) Kanwalpreet Singh intervened to guarantee legal action. “The police are registering a case against four officers on the basis of these allegations,” ADCP Kanwalpreet Singh confirmed. “A separate FIR (first-information report) is being lodged against the occupants of the car and their associates who allegedly assaulted Ranjodh Singh during the initial road incident.”The taxi driver’s side stated it had turned to public protest only after two days of failed attempts to get the authorities to listen to his grievances.
