Murder case: Ex-SSP, SHO acquitted after 11 years
Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service
Jammu, August 10
In the high-profile Amandeep murder case of Jammu, the then Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Manohar Singh, then SHO of Gandhi Nagar Police Station Sultan Mirza and deceased Sub-Inspector, Satnam Singh were acquitted on Monday after 11-year-long trial.
Amandeep Singh, son of a former National Conference (NC) legislator Deepinder Kour, was shot outside his home at Shastri Nagar in Jammu allegedly by Jatinder Singh, alias Raja, son of an influential businessman of J&K, Choudhary Nagar Singh, alias Nago, on August 29, 2009. Main accused Raja died under mysterious circumstances in the Udhampur jail in 2017.
Killing of NC leader’s son Amandeep
- Aug 29, 2009: Amandeep Singh was murdered at Shastri Nagar in Jammu.
- Sept 18, 2009: Manohar Singh, who was the SSP, Jammu, at that time, was suspended for his alleged role in swapping the pistol used in the murder.
- Sept 28, 2009: Manohar Singh and the then SHO, Gandhi Nagar, Sultan Mirza, and IO SI Satnam Singh was arrested.
- Mar 25, 2011: The Superintendent of the Udhampur jail was arrested for alleged involvement in a conspiracy to kill uncle of deceased Amandeep Singh.
- Mar 5, 2014: The Court of Additional Sessions Judge, Jammu, rejected Manohar Singh’s bail.
- May 13, 2014: Manohar Singh got bail from the Supreme Court and was released from the Kot Bhawal jail.
The court, in its 178-page verdict, held Jatinder Singh and another suspect Royal Singh guilty of the murder. Raja died under mysterious circumstances in the Udhampur jail in 2017 while the case was still being tried.
The court, however, criticised the investigation conducted in the case, saying the prosecution case suffered from “factual gaps, loopholes and missing links”.
The court observed that the prosecution miserably failed to prove the allegation of swapping the weapon of offense and changing the bullet to screen the main accused.
The court gave the benefit of doubt to the accused, namely Nagar Singh, Jagar Singh, Rakesh Singh, Manohar Singh, Sultan Mehmood Mirza and SH Bukhari. “Resultantly, the challan against these accused fails and is accordingly dismissed so far it pertains to these accused persons,” the court said.
