Uttarakhand: Former IPS officer Lokeshwar Singh faces further trouble; convicted in assault case, the authority has pronounced its verdict.

The State Police Complaints Authority has ruled against former IPS officer Lokeshwar Singh in a case of illegal detention and beating in the Superintendent of Police’s office in Takana, Pithoragarh. The Authority has found Lokeshwar Singh, the then Superintendent of Police of Pithoragarh, guilty and has recommended action against him to the Uttarakhand Government’s Home Department. The Authority has also ordered that the police officer be given adequate opportunity to present his case.

On February 6, 2023, the victim was allegedly beaten inside the office by the then Superintendent of Police Lokeshwar Singh and six other police personnel. He sustained serious injuries and is currently undergoing treatment. Medical reports and X-ray reports show evidence of the injuries.

On April 18, 2023, the then Superintendent of Police Lokeshwar Singh submitted an affidavit stating that Laxmi Dutt Joshi is a person with a criminal record. Cases have been registered against him under the Juvenile Justice Act in Kotwali Pithoragarh, for obstructing government work and assault under the Goonda Act in Champawat, and for criminal intimidation in Kotwali Pithoragarh. He also faced proceedings for disturbing the peace in connection with a land dispute with villagers. Laxmi Dutt Joshi was summoned for questioning regarding an incident of vehicles being set on fire in the Kotwali Pithoragarh area. Laxmi Dutt denied any involvement in the incident. Lokeshwar Singh claimed that no assault took place on February 6, 2023.

On May 26, 2023, the victim submitted an affidavit stating that Lokeshwar Singh misused his position and colluded with local political leaders to file false cases against him. All the cases are currently being heard in court, and he has not been convicted in any of them. One of the victims is the son of a sanitation worker employed by the police department. On February 6, 2023, he was allegedly beaten while in police custody in connection with a false case of setting vehicles on fire. No case was registered against him. During the hearing before the State Police Complaints Authority, which lasted for approximately three years, both parties were called on different dates to present their respective sides of the case.

On Wednesday, a bench comprising Justice NS Dhanik, Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority, and members Pustak Jyoti, Ajay Joshi, Mohan Chandra, and Daya Shankar Pandey, delivered the judgment in the case. The bench found the then Superintendent of Police, Lokeshwar Singh, guilty of summoning the victim to his office, stripping him naked, assaulting him, and making him sit in his office for a considerable period. The bench ordered that a recommendation for disciplinary action against the former IPS officer be sent to the Uttarakhand Government’s Home Department. The state government was also directed to initiate action against him, providing him with an adequate opportunity to be heard, and proceeding in accordance with the law. It is worth noting that Lokeshwar Singh resigned from the police service on October 14, 2025. He is currently working in a national organization affiliated with the United Nations.