Fake encounter: 'Justice finally, proved they weren't terrorists'

PK Jaiswar

Amritsar, August 25

The family members of three persons, who were gunned down in a fake encounter 30 years ago, expressed satisfaction over the sentence awarded to two former cops by the CBI court at Mohali on Thursday. The victims belonged to the Mehta area here.

The court had sentenced them to life imprisonment, besides awarding a total of Rs 1 lakh compensation to the kin of each of the victims.

“Finally, it has been proved that our kin were not terrorists as branded by the cops at that time. They were innocent. Our families had to fight a long battle for this moment,” they said.

“We are satisfied with the court’s decision. After 30 years of delay, my brother finally got justice,” said Sartaz Singh, a resident of Palla village in Mehta and brother of Sahib Singh, who was killed in the stage-managed encounter.

“We hope that it will act as deterrent and no cop will indulge in such acts that destroy the lives of innocent people and their families in future,” said Shamsher Singh of Chung village in Mehta. His brother Balwinder Singh was among the three youths who were shot by the cops in the fake encounter.

He said his grandparents and father died awaiting justice. He said even after the killing of my brother and branded him as terrorist, the police used to harass their family on one pretext or other so that they don’t pursue the case.

On August 12, the CBI court at Mohali convicted the then SI, Tarsem Lal, posted then at CIA Majitha in Amritsar district, and former Inspector Kishan Singh, who was additional SHO at that time. The then SHO, Mehta Rajinder Singh, died during trial.

According to the details, in September 1992, the Punjab Police claimed to have killed four militants having hundreds of criminal cases, including murder and kidnapping, against them.

They had claimed that three persons — Sahib Singh, Dalbir Singh and Balwinder Singh — were in police remand in connection with the murder of one Bachan Singh of Udoke Kalan village. They were arrested from Madhya Pradesh along with two others.

The police claimed that the trio was killed in cross-firing when a terrorist tried to release them in Dhar Deo where they were going to recover arms and ammunition on their disclosure statement a day before the incident.

It was claimed that Sahib was Lt General of the Khalistan Armed Force (KAF). However, the police failed to prove even a single case against them during the trial.

Sarabjit Singh Verka, a member of NGO Punjab Human Rights Organisation, said the victims were cremated as unclaimed. He said the families were not even given death certificates of the victims. He said the Punjab Government should constitute a commission to probe all killings whether by police or by terrorists during militancy days in Punjab to unearth the truth.

Victims belonged to Mehta area

• Three persons — Sahib Singh, Dalbir Singh, Balwinder Singh — along with an unidentified person were killed in the fake encounter
• The four were killed on September 13, 1992, in Dhar-Deo village under the Mehta police station by a police party
• The bodies of all four were illegally cremated at Durgiana Cremation Ground as unclaimed. The victims belonged to Mehta area in Amritsar

We are Satisfied with court’s decision

We are satisfied with the court’s decision. After 30 years of delay, my brother finally got justice. — Sartaz Singh, brother of Sahib Singh, who

Was killed in stage-managed encounter

We hope that it will act as deterrent and no cop will indulge in such acts that destroy the lives of innocent people and their families in future. — Shamsher Singh, brother of Balwinder Singh