33 years later, families of Nakodar victims seek ATR

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 17

With Justice Gurnam Singh Commission report on the death of four Sikh youths in Nakodar in 1986 coming in the public domain and raising questions on the role of police officials, the affected families are seeking an “action taken report (ATR)” on the 33-year old case.

The report was tabled in the Punjab Assembly in 2001. Four youths — Baldhir Singh, Harminder Singh, Jhalman Singh and Ravinder Singh — were allegedly shot dead by the police in Nakodar on February 4, 1986, much like the Behbal Kalan episode.

Ravinder Singh’s father Baldev Singh, 73, of Littran village, recalled: “My son was barely 19. I was then working in a bank. That evening, I saw the body of my son and of three more, all with injuries on the chest. Instead of penalising the officials, they were given plum postings. I want justice. The incident occurred during the Akali regime and the report was tabled during their tenure. I hope the Congress government now will take action.”

The report says the then SP Operations, AK Sharma, did not report to the district magistrate even after he had ordered firing. Both Mohammad Izhar Alam, then Jalandhar SSP, and Darbara Singh Guru, then Jalandhar ADC, were in Nakodar at the time of the incident. It also says the peaceful crowd, after ardas at about 3.30 pm, was marching towards a gurdwara when the police opened fire.

On the police claim that the action was taken after Inspector Jaswant Singh sustained a gunshot injury, the commission points out that the police should have taken the help of forensic experts on the “pellet-like object”, while pointing out that a doctors’ report clearly stated the cop had not sustained any serious injury.

Also, the FIR, registered on February 3, 1986, and cancelled the following day mentioned the crowd was armed with lathis and swords, not guns.