SSP Ravcharan Brar acquitted

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 11

In an 11-year-old case pertaining to the murder of numberdar Paramjit Singh of Macchijoa village at Sultanpur Lodhi, SSP Ludhiana (Rural) Ravcharan Brar and five more cops were yesterday acquitted by the court of District and Sessions Judge, Kapurthala.

Other police officials who too were acquitted by the court of Judge RS Rai were former SHOs of Sultanpur Saroop Singh and Sarwan Singh, inspector Niranjan Singh and ASIs Deen Dayal and Iqbal Singh. The case was filed against 10 persons, three of whom have passed away and another was declared a proclaimed offender (PO).

The case dates back to July 10, 1999, when one Harbans Singh of the same village had lodged a complaint against Brar, who was at that time posted as DSP, Sultanpur Lodhi, for extorting Rs 87,000 from him at gunpoint. An inquiry into the matter was held by the then DIG, Jalandhar, Suresh Arora (now DGP Punjab), who had then given him a clean chit.

In April 17, 2004, when the trial of the case was on, the numberdar, who was a prime witness in the case, died of electrocution in the fields. Harbans had then lodged another case against Brar and other five cops for masterminding the killing of the witness in the case. Brar was at that time serving as DSP, Sarabha Nagar, Ludhiana. On May 7, 2010, the original case was withdrawn by the complainant, but the murder case went on.

Brar had returned to Kapurthala as SSP in 2012 but was moved again as there was a complaint that he could try to influence the case. Brar's lawyer Karamjit Singh Thind said that as the case was on, the numberdar’s wife sought compensation from the market committee of Sultanpur Lodhi for the electrocution of her husband. This claim demand became a ground for the cops and helped them get an acquittal.