Dal Khalsa calls for protest over alleged encounter

Alleging Punjab continues to function as a police state, Dal Khalsa has called on residents to gather in Gurdaspur on Sunday to protest against the killing of youth Ranjit Singh in what they described as a fake encounter by the Gurdaspur police.

Seeking justice for the deceased and action against the policemen allegedly involved, the party said a dharna would be held at Babri Bypass (Tank Chowk) at the call of the aggrieved family. Party leaders Kanwar Pal Singh, Paramjeet Singh Mand and Paramjit Singh Tanda announced the protest.

Quoting a saying two wrongs cannot make a right, the leaders said the killing of two policemen was unfortunate but did not grant the police any constitutional authority to kill an alleged suspect in what they termed a stage-managed encounter. Mand said the police had assumed the roles of prosecutor, judge and executioner.

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He alleged fake encounters had become routine in Punjab under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. He said in the last three months, nearly three dozen such “encounters” had been reported, all of which, he claimed, appeared to be staged.

Human rights groups, activists and Sikh organisations have raised concerns, the leaders said, but alleged the police leadership remained unresponsive while the political leadership appeared captive to the police hierarchy. They reiterated that Punjab had continued to resemble a police state since the 1980s.

Calling for an end to impunity and greater accountability, Dal Khalsa activists visited Ranjit Singh’s family and demanded an impartial and credible judicial inquiry, describing the alleged encounters as extra-judicial killings.