28 yrs on, cops still occupy militant Gurbachan Singh Manochahal’s property

Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran, January 12

After a legal battle of more than 28 years, Tarlochan Singh and Ninder Singh, brothers of dreaded terrorist Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, are still not certain about the time it would take to regain the possession of a chunk of prime land the Punjab Police had “illegally occupied”.

The land the family of Manochahal was calling their own is situated on the GT Road, crossing through the Naushehra Pannuan town.

The self-styled head of the Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK), Manochahal was killed in an encounter in nearby Rataul village in February 1993. He came to the limelight when he managed to flee from the cordon of heavy force of the CRPF and the police from the tubewell room where he had taken shelter at night in November 1985 after ‘Operation Blue Star’.

His three kanal land was acquired in 1992 by the police to make a police post under the Sarhali police station. Local residents were not sure if it was the family’s ancestral property or was purchased from someone else. Many said there was a Gurdwara at the place when the police took possession of the ‘house’. There were shops at the front portion of the land at the time of acquisition.

Tarlochan and Ninder said the family had been fighting for a long time to take back the possession of their house but to no avail. Tarlochan, bed-ridden for the past 14 years, claimed that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had given a verdict in the family’s favour.

Meanwhile, SSP Dhruman H Nimbale said the police had not vacated the land from where the Naushehra Pannuan police post was operational. He said the land was given by the village panchayat to the police and there was a proposal to allot a new place to the police for which the DSP visited the site.

“The proposal would be sent to the Deputy Commissioner for approval and then the question of vacating the old building would be taken up,” the SSP said.

Even today, ASI Kulbir Singh, along with some other policemen, was working from the spot. However, another ASI Kashmir Singh was seen at the old building of the Government Secondary School of the village.

Proposal to shift

• SSP Dhruman H Nimbale said the police had not vacated the land from where the Naushehra Pannuan police post was operating
• He said the land was given by the village panchayat to the police and there was a proposal to allot a new place to the police for which the DSP visited the site
• “The proposal would be sent to the Deputy Commissioner for approval and then the question of vacating the old building would be taken up,” the SSP said

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