Four cops among 6 summoned in 2016 murder case

The court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Jaito, has summoned four police officials among six persons in a nine-year-old murder case. The accused — police officers Lachman Singh, Parminder Singh, Dharminder Singh and Kabal Singh and liquor contractors Dharampal, alias Dhammi, and Amarjit Singh Mehta — have been directed to appear before the court on March 6, 2025. They will be tried for charges, including murder and criminal conspiracy.

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The case, which dates back to May 2016, has been marred by allegations of police misconduct and false narratives.

In her complaint in the court, Manjit Kaur stated that her son Ajmer Singh was a kabaddi player and liquor vendor. She alleged that he was falsely portrayed as a gangster and subsequently killed in a staged encounter. She alleged that that Dharampal and Amarjit, two liquor contractors of Bathinda, had conspired with police officials to eliminate him over business rivalry.

A special investigation team (SIT) formed in 2021 under a DSP concluded that Ajmer was shot in self-defence by the police. However, the court found several inconsistencies in the police version, casting doubt on their claim of self-defence. During the preliminary hearing, key witnesses, including Sukhwinder Kaur and Ranjit Singh, siblings of the victim, testified that Ajmer was targeted and falsely implicated in criminal activities.

The court has found sufficient grounds to proceed with the charges under Sections 302 (murder), 201, 120-B, 506, 148 and 149 of the IPC, along with relevant sections of the Arms Act.