Faridkot court summons 4 cops in 'fake' encounter case
In a nine-year-old murder case, a local court here summoned six individuals, including four police officers, to stand trial for charges including murder and criminal conspiracy. The case, dating back to May 2016, has been tainted by allegations of police misconduct and false narratives.
In a complaint to the court, Manjit Kaur, the mother of the deceased, claimed that her son, Ajmer Singh, a Kabaddi player and liquor vendor, was falsely portrayed as a gangster and was subsequently killed in a staged encounter. She alleged that influential individuals, including Dharampal alias Dhammi and Amarjit Singh Mehta, two liquor contractors from Bathinda, had conspired with police officers to eliminate him due to business disputes.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed in 2021, investigated the incident and initially concluded that Ajmer Singh was shot in self-defence by the police. However, the court found several inconsistencies in the police’s account, casting doubt on the self-defence claim.
During the preliminary hearings, key witnesses—including Sukhwinder Kaur and Ranjit Singh, the deceased’s siblings—testified that Ajmer Singh had been specifically targeted and falsely implicated in criminal activities.
The court has found sufficient grounds to proceed with charges under sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code, as well as relevant sections of the Arms Act.
The accused, including police officers Lachman Singh, Parminder Singh, Dharminder Singh, Kabal Singh, along with liquor contractors Dharampal alias Dhammi and Amarjit Singh Mehta, are required to appear before the court on March 6.
