Gurdapsur youth’s post-mortem conducted in presence of CJM
Ranjit Singh was killed in an alleged encounter by Punjab Police
The much-awaited autopsy of Ranjit Singh (19) was conducted at the Gurdaspur Civil Hospital on Tuesday in the presence of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Surekha Dadwal.
Ranjit Singh was shot dead by the police in an alleged encounter near Puranashala township on February 25.
His killing stoked a controversy as his family members challenged the police version “that he was shot dead in an exchange of fire”.
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The autopsy report will be submitted to the court.
The board of doctors comprised a three-member team and two forensic experts from the Government Medical College, Amritsar. The CJM’s court had yesterday directed that a special board of doctors be constituted for it.
The court also ruled that a board of doctors should examine the injuries of CIA in-charge Gurmeet Singh. According to the police, he sustained an injury on his arm following a shot fired by Ranjit.
However, Ranjit’s kin are claiming that Gurmeet’s injury was “self-inflicted” because the boy had already died during a police interrogation.
Earlier in the day, Members of the “Ranjit Singh Jhoota Muqabala Action Committee”, including the deceased’s family members, reached the hospital mortuary early in the morning.
On Monday evening, the DIG (Border) and the Gurdaspur SSP visited Ranjit’s house at Adhian village. Sources said the officers went there to convince the family to let the autopsy proceedings commence as the court had passed an order to this effect.
Amar Kranti, a leader of the Punjab Students’ Union who was present at the hospital, said, “We are convinced that the encounter was staged by the police after Ranjit had died during interrogation. The CIA in-charge h is the chief suspect because he was interrogating Ranjit. This autopsy report will contradict the official narrative provided by the police. It will also serve as crucial evidence in uncovering the custodial torture.”
A doctor said, “The report will convincingly prove whether the cause of Ranjit’s death was truly a bullet wound sustained in the encounter as is being told by the police, or other factors like torture. The report will establish the exact time of death, which can be checked against police statements.”
