Batala — In a horrifying episode that has once again exposed the criminal culture festering inside Punjab’s police ranks, two uniformed commandos violently assaulted a journalist in broad daylight—an act that has triggered nationwide outrage and raised urgent questions about unchecked police brutality in India.
The attackers, Sub-Inspector Mandeep Singh and Sub-Inspector Surjit Kumar, both from the 7th Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) stationed in Bathinda, were caught on CCTV unleashing a savage assault on journalist Balwinder Kumar Bhalla, a press photographer and web TV reporter. The attack took place outside a hotel on College Road in Batala around 6:15 pm on August 1.
Bhalla had reportedly asked a routine question when the officers, rather than respond civilly, pounced on him like violent street thugs. The footage shows both men dragging Bhalla by his shirt, punching and kicking him until he collapses near a waterlogged pothole. One of the officers then stomps on his unconscious body before walking away, only to return moments later to kick him again.
This was not policing. This was savagery by men with state-issued weapons and uniforms.
According to hospital sources, Bhalla was later rushed to Batala Civil Hospital, unconscious and badly bruised. He filed a formal complaint after regaining consciousness, demanding criminal action against the perpetrators. The First Information Report (FIR No. 233) was registered on August 2, 2025, at Batala Police Station, directly naming Sub-Inspector Mandeep Singh and Sub-Inspector Surjit Kumar as the accused.
What makes this assault even more grotesque is that both officers were deployed in Batala on official law-and-order duty, a fact confirmed by police officials themselves in front of the press. Despite wearing the badge of public service, Singh and Kumar behaved like unrestrained goons. Their actions not only disgraced the uniform but also redefined the term “abuse of power” in the most literal sense.
From his hospital bed, Bhalla condemned the assault as a brazen, state-backed murder attempt carried out by uniformed thugs masquerading as law enforcers. According to him, these so-called police officers never intended to arrest or question him; they came to silence him, to crush him for being a journalist. Barely able to move, Bhalla now bears the brutal imprint of Punjab’s rogue policing machinery, which treats press freedom as a threat and violence as its default response.
While the Punjab Police have suspended both officers and initiated disciplinary action, critics argue that such token measures are no substitute for real justice. Journalist unions, particularly the Indian Journalists Union, must act decisively now, because silence or inaction will only embolden violent state actors. If they fail to confront this brutality head-on, they risk becoming the next targets of the same unchecked police thuggery that nearly killed Bhalla.
The Free Press Journal confirmed the timeline of events and reported that Bhalla was first dragged, then left to drown partially in stagnant water while the officers continued their assault. The outlet further verified that the officers were from Bathinda and were assigned temporary law-and-order duties in Batala.
The Times of India corroborated the incident with footage screenshots and noted that Bhalla’s FIR was filed the next day after he regained consciousness. The paper also highlighted that the viral video has sparked widespread condemnation, not only from journalists but also from human rights defenders, all demanding criminal charges against the officers.
For now, Bhalla remains hospitalized. But the larger wound, India’s tolerance for state violence and unchecked police thuggery, remains wide open.
