BATHINDA, Aug. 7 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has granted anticipatory bail to five Punjab police personnel accused of the custodial death of a Bathinda resident.

Hearing a petition on Tuesday, justice Rajesh Bhardwaj directed the accused to appear before the trial court in Bathinda.

A fact-finding report filed on February 18 this year by then judicial magistrate (first class) Kuldeep Singh indicted five cops - inspector Navpreet Singh, the then head of Bathinda CIA-1, head constable Rajwinder Singh and three constables, Gaganpreet Singh, Harjeet Singh and Jaswinder Singh - for allegedly torturing a man to death while in illegal custody and covering it up as drowning.

Based on this report, the district court ordered them to sta...