Punjab: A special Central Bureau of Investigation court on Friday convicted two former police officers in an over three-decade-old fake encounter case in which two youths, including an Army constable, were convicted. The court also acquitted former SSP Chaman Lal and former SP SS Sidhu, giving them the benefit of the doubt. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on February 4. Former ASI Purushottam Singh and former Inspector Gurbinder Singh were tried under Sections 302 (murder) 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code for the incident that took place in September 1992 in Amritsar. Five other accused – then Chheharta SHO Harbhajan Singh, then ASI Khasa Purushottam Lal, former SI Mohan Singh, former constable Jassa Singh and former SI Mohinder Singh – died during the trial. The case was registered on February 27, 1997 on the statement of Buta Singh, father of Sepoy Baldev Singh (25), a resident of Basarke Bhaini village in Amritsar. Chheharta police, while investigating the killing of Congress minister Gurmej Singh’s son Harbhajan Singh, had zeroed in on Baldev Singh’s involvement and arrested him on September 12, 1992. Police said Baldev Singh had tried to escape from their custody and was seriously injured in an encounter at Sansara village, leading to his death. An unidentified dead militant was found at the encounter site, who was identified by Baldev Singh as his group mate Lakhwinder Singh, 20. Buta Singh in his statement said his son was forcibly picked up from home by Chheharta police on September 6, 1992. He later came to know that Majitha police had killed Baldev Singh in an encounter and cremated him as an unclaimed body. Baldev, a sepoy in the 5 Sikh Regiment, was to return to his place of posting in Srinagar. Lakhwinder Singh of Sultanwind village, who lived in a rented house in Preet Nagar, Amritsar, was forcibly picked up by the then SHO of Majitha police station Gurbinder Singh along with Kulwant Singh of the same area on September 12, 1992. Kulwant, who had last seen Lakhwinder at Majitha police station, was let off two days later. The log books of the police vehicles used to take Baldev Singh to the encounter site had no mention of him at the scene. Sukhwinder Kaur, Baldev Singh’s sister, said, “It was later found that the encounter was fabricated and false. The records prepared in connection with the case, such as the seizure memos showing the recovery of arms and ammunition, were also suspicious. Baldev was the only brother of three sisters. Our parents died hoping for justice. We will appeal in the High Court against the acquittal of the two police officers.” Victim family’s lawyer Sarabjit Singh Verka said though the CBI cited 37 witnesses in the case, statements of only 19 were recorded during the trial as most of the witnesses had died during the trial.
Punjab: Two former policemen convicted in 1992 fake encounter case
