Nihang killings: Court reserves order for July 2

Manish Sirhindi

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Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 7

The court of Additional Sessions and District Judge Rajiv Kalra today reserved judgment in the nine-year-old case of Nihang killings for July 2 as the prosecution failed to produce one of the 23 accused in the case before the judge. Those produced in the court today included Ravinder Singh, Shaheed Singh, Ranjit Singh, Dharam Singh, Gursewak Singh, Shamsher Singh, Harnek Singh, Ram Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Kehar Singh, Visrsa Singh, Sukhdev Singh Fauji, Baldev Singh, Malkiat Singh, Baldev Singh and Jagsir Singh, all lodged in the Patiala jail; and Kikar Singh and Rajinder Singh, lodged in Mansa jail.

Sukhdev Singh who is lodged in Nabha jail could not be produced in the court due to which the verdict was reserved.

It was on September 21, 2007 that four members of Baba Balbir Singh’s family — his father Baba Assa Singh, sons Jagdish Singh and Bhajan Singh and nephew Karamjit Singh — were killed in a firing incident on the premises of Baba Budha Dal. Baba Assa Singh’s brother Darshan Singh and Kartar Singh were injured in the firing.

The accused were allegedly associates of Baba Surjit Singh, who headed the horses’ sect of the Nihangs. Initially, a case under Sections 302 and 307 of the IPC was registered against 12 persons, but later 30 more names were added to the FIR.

At present, 23 persons are facing the trail. The prime accused Baba Uday Singh and Baba Gurkirpal Singh are absconding and were pronounced proclaimed offenders, while Uday Singh’s wife Manjit Kaur and daughter Manpreet Kaur and one Kulwant Singh were granted bail. Baba Surjit Singh died during the course of trial.