JALANDHAR: A 60-year-old man suffering from kidney failure has been arrested by the police in Jalandhar, Punjab, triggering outrage among his family members. On Friday, the family of the arrested man, Prem Kumar, staged a sit-in outside the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Jalandhar rural.
Rohit Kumar, the son of Prem Kumar, said his father has been bedridden for the past 10 months and is undergoing treatment for kidney failure. “My father was picked up by the rural police three days ago and sent to jail. We were not even told why he was arrested,” Rohit said, holding back tears.
He added that police informed him later that his father had been named in a gangrape case. “They told me that the car in which the girl was raped was driven by my father. But my father only knows how to ride a bicycle. He doesn’t even know how to drive a scooty. The whole village knows this,” Rohit said.
Shiromani Akali Dal’s Jalandhar city president, Iqbal Singh Dhindsa, also joined the protest and reportedly had an argument with police officers at the site.
Rohit further questioned how a man in his father’s condition could commit such a crime. “He is 60 years old, has kidney failure, and has been bedridden for months. He can’t even move properly. How can an elderly man like him be accused of rape?” he said.
The family has demanded Prem Kumar’s immediate release and a fair investigation into the case.
