Police reach Canada to extradite Jassi’s ‘killers’

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 17

A three-member Punjab Police team has reached Vancouver, Canada, for the extradition of two prime accused in the Jassi honour killing case.

The team led by IPS officer Kanwardeep Kaur, posted as SP (Headquarters) in Patiala, would bring back Jassi’s mother Malkiat Kaur (62) and maternal uncle Surjit Singh Badesha (70) to face trial in India for the murder.

The extradition was made possible after the British Columbia Supreme Court ordered the extradition last week — 17 years after the murder.

Jassi and her husband Sukhwinder Singh Mithu of Kaunke Khosa village in Jagraon were attacked on June 8, 2000, near Malerkotla by contract killers allegedly hired by Jassi’s mother and uncle. Jassi died, while Mithu survived.

The police left for Canada last evening after Secretary (Home) Rahul Kumar gave the approval to bring back the accused.

The other members of the police team are Dhuri DSP Akashdeep Singh Aulakh and Inspector Deepinder Pal Singh. Surjit and Malkiat are booked under Sections 302, 307, 364, 148, 149 and 120-B of the IPC.

Jassi, a Canadian-born Indian girl, met Mithu when she visited her uncle in Punjab. It was love at first sight.

Mithu and Jassi belonged to the Sidhu clan, but Mithu’s socio-economic status was lower than the Jassi’s. A huge mansion of Badesha was next to a two-room house of Mithu in Kaunke Khosa. Also, marriages within a village are mostly unapproved of. But Jassi insisted and married Mithu against the wishes of her family in March 2000.

The couple stayed at various places till June 8, 2000, when 14 contract killers waylaid them near Malerkotla.