Jagtar Hawara gets clean chit in 13-year-old case of attempt to murder

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, August 7

Dreaded terrorist Jagtar Singh Hawara, a convict in the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, was given a clean chit by the district and sessions’ court in Moga on Tuesday in a 13-year-old case of attempt to murder.

He was produced in the court of Additional District and Sessions’ Judge Tarsem Mangla at Moga through video conferencing from Delhi’s Tihar Jail.

A criminal case was registered against him and three others under Sections 307, 353, 323, 186 and 120B of the IPC at the Badhni Kalan police station in Nihalsinghwala sub-division of the Moga district on February 18, 2005.

As per the details available, three of his associates were already acquitted by the court in this case a few years back. This case was reopened against Hawara by the local police a couple of years back.

For the past one year, this case was lingering on for the framing of charges against him. Today also the case was fixed for the framing of charges against him.  

But the prosecution could not convince the court to frame charges against him.

Therefore, the additional district and sessions’ judge did not frame charges against him. Thus, he was absolved of the allegations and “acquitted” by the court.

It may be mentioned that in 2016, a gathering of the Sarbat Khalsa appointed him as the parallel jathedar of Akal Takht.

The SGPC never accepted this decision of the Sarbat Khalsa. The Shiromani Akali Dal and the SGPC also rejected the gathering as Sarbat Khalsa.

On July 24, 2017, the Moga police formally arrested Hawara after taking permission from the court. However, he was not brought to Moga and was questioned on the jail premises with regard to the attempt to murder case.

On November 21, 2017, the local police first filed the challan against Hawara in this case before judicial magistrate Pankaj Verma but the judge refused to accept it because the alleged accused man was produced in the court before him.

On November 29, 2017, and July 12, 2018, also Jagtar Singh Hawara was produced before the court through video conferencing from the Tihar Jail.

It may be mentioned that Hawara attacked a head constable of the local police, Jasvir Singh, with automatic firearms in 2005 when he stopped a car during a special checking on the outskirts of Lopo village.

Hawara was accompanied by few of his associates when he attacked the cop. He allegedly fired the shots at Jasvir who was seriously injured.