Cop convicted, 3 acquitted for kidnapping 4 Tarn Taran residents in 1992

Mohali, March 31

A CBI court convicted Punjab Police inspector Surinderpal Singh for kidnapping and wrongful confinement of four Tarn Taran residents in a 31-year-old case of disappearance. The court acquitted Bhupinderjit Singh, the then DSP Goindwal, Ram Nath of Garhshankar and ASI Nazir Singh of Gurdaspur, giving them the benefit of doubt.

Surinderpal, a resident of Kishangarh, Mani Majra, was held guilty under Sections 364 and 342, IPC, and his sentence would be pronounced on April 5.

One more accused, Teg Bahadur, the then ASI posted at the Goindwal police station, died during the trial.

Four persons, including Piara Singh, a retired Army man, his son Harphool Singh, nephew Gurdeep Singh, an employee of the PSEB, and their relative Sawaran Singh, were picked up by a police party from their home at Jeobala village, Tarn Taran, on July 23, 1992. They were detained at various police stations. Thereafter, the whereabouts of the four were not known and they disappeared mysteriously.

In 1996, Jagir Kaur, wife of Piara Singh, filed a petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the production of her husband and others before the court of the law.

On August 25, 1999, a CBI inquiry was ordered into the disappearance. In pursuance of these orders on February 10, 2000, the CBI registered a case against Bhupinderjit Singh, the then Goindwal DSP and former Bathinda SSP, Inspector Surinderpal Singh, the then Goindwal SHO, Teg Bahadur, the then Goindwal police station ASI, the Verowal police station SHO, and other unknown police officials.

The CBI presented the chargesheet in 2002 against Bhupinderjit Singh, Surinderpal Singh, Teg Bahadur Singh, Nazar Singh and Ram Nath, who were represented by advocate Tejinder Pal Singh. The trial of the case was stayed from 2004 to 2018 on the petitions filed by the accused policemen.

Tarn Taran incident

Piara Singh, a retired Army man, his son Harphool Singh, nephew Gurdeep Singh and their relative Sawaran Singh, were picked up by a police party from their home at Jeobala village, Tarn Taran, on July 23, 1992. They were detained at various police stations. Thereafter, they disappeared mysteriously.