Life imprisonment for Gurdwara Rara Sahib murder convicts after 10 years

A murder mystery that had stunned the devotees of Gurdwara Rara Sahib a decade ago has finally reached its conclusion in court. Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Singh Bajwa has sentenced Tarlok Singh and Sewak Singh, both from Badhni Kalan village, Moga, to rigorous life imprisonment for killing Raghbir Singh and severing his head with a sharp edged weapon.

According to Additional Public Prosecutor Ajay Singla, the prosecution examined 23 witnesses during the trial. CCTV footage, witness testimonies and forensic evidence were produced to establish the guilt of the accused. The convicts have also been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 45,000 each.

“The evidence on record left no scope for doubt. The crime was not only cold-blooded but also carried out in a manner that shocked society’s conscience,” Singla said, while briefing on the case.

A case against the accused was registered on September 29, 2015, following the statement of Randhir Singh, a member of Bhadson Nagar Panchayat, as well as trustee of Gurdwara Rara Sahib at Payal Police Station. He had stated to the police that he received a call alerting him about suspicious activity in Room 76 of the gurdwara. When he reached there, he found the mattress soaked with blood and a foul smell coming from an air-cooler outside Room 80. Inside the cooler was a body wrapped in a mattress cover. The room register revealed it had been booked a day earlier in the name of Raghubir Singh of Jagraon.

Investigators soon identified the victim as Raghubir Singh. His head had been severed and later recovered from under a bridge on the canal near village Jagera, while his torso had been concealed inside the cooler.

The gurdwara sewadar disclosed that Raghubir had not come alone—he was accompanied by Tarlok Singh, known by several aliases including Baba Badhni, along with his accomplices.

In its judgment, the court observed that the prosecution had successfully pieced together the chain of circumstances.