E-Paper
1992 disappearance of bank employee: 30 yrs on, 2 cops convicted of illegal detention, kidnapping
A Central Bureau of Investigation court in Mohali has convicted two Punjab Police cops 30 years after the alleged disappearance of a bank employee from Amritsar.
MOHALI/TARN TARAN
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali has convicted two Punjab Police cops 30 years after the alleged disappearance of a bank employee from Amritsar.
A clerk in Amritsar Central Co-operative Bank, Kuldeep Singh and a resident of Kotli Saru Khan village in Tarn Taran, was allegedly kidnapped on June 2, 1992, and kept in illegal detention by the then crime investigation agency (CIA) in-charge Gurdev Singh and then constable Jhirmal Singh, who is now posted as a sub-inspector at Amritsar police commissionerate.
He was later declared a proclaimed offender and his whereabouts are not known to date. Tarn Taran CIA had then claimed that he escaped from the police custody.
The court of special judicial magistrate, CBI, Mohali, Amandeep Kamboj convicted Jhirmal (53) and then station house officer (SHO) of Vairowal police station Suba Singh (82), now retired. Gurdev Singh, the third accused in the case, died during the trial. While Jhirmal has been sentenced to five-year imprisonment with a fine of ₹9,500, Suba Singh will be behind the bars for three years and a fine of ₹5,000 has been imposed on him.
Kuldeep’s counsel Sarabjit Singh Verka said a police team headed by Gurdev Singh raided the house of Harpal Singh, the then chairman of the Amritsar Central Co-operative Bank, at Circular Road, Amritsar, and picked his two gunmen Mehal Singh and Kharag Singh. “The same police party raided the house of one Joginder Singh at Lawrence Road, Amritsar, and rounded up Kuldeep Singh, Balkar Singh, Kamaljit Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Gurinderpal Singh, Balkar Singh, Kartar Singh and Jaswant Singh and Satnam Singh in the presence of Joginder Singh and his family members. The police released all except Kuldeep in four days,” he added.
According to the CBI probe, Kuldeep was seen at the CIA staff office, Tarn Taran, till July 4, 1992, but his whereabouts are not known thereafter.
On July 6, 1992, the police raided Kuldeep’s house claiming that he had escaped from the custody. His brother Kulwant Singh was detained and subsequently released.
The CBI probe revealed that a FIR was registered at Vairowal police station relating to the death of some persons in an alleged encounter. Entries were made in the case diaries of the case showing that Kuldeep and five others died in an encounter on March 15, 1993.
“Suba Singh fabricated the records/documents of another encounter in which six persons were killed and wrongly identified the body of an unknown person as that of Kuldeep,” Verka added.
Satnam Singh, who was also picked by police from the residence of Joginder Singh, filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). An inquiry was conducted by additional director general of police, crime, Chandigarh, on the NHRC’s directions and a case under Sections 364 (abducting in order to murder), 365 (abducting with intent to wrongfully confine), and 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Civil Lines police station, Amritsar, in 1999. The case was later transferred to the CBI.
In 2005, the CBI filed a chargesheet under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 344 (wrongful confinement), 352 (assault), 365, 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 218 (framing incorrect record) of the IPC against the three accused.
The CBI cited 39 witnesses in its chargesheet, 12 of whom died during the trial. As some witnesses were untraceable because of wrong addresses, only 19 deposed on behalf of the prosecution and two appeared for the defence.
No one helped us, we fought a lone battle, says victim’s son
Sandeep Singh (38), Kuldeep’s eldest son, said that their life changed after this incident. He was only nine-year-old at the time.
“Before my father’s detention, we had a great reputation in the society and many senior police officers were on good terms with my father. Since my father was politically active, many influential people used to visit us. After the detention, no one helped us and we had to fight our own battle,” Sandeep said.
After the incident, Sandeep, his mother, and grandfather took responsibility of his three younger siblings, one of whom is polio-affected.
“Police continued to raid our house for many years. In 2002, I got a compensatory job as a peon in my father’s bank and started earning ₹4,000 per month. I am now a branch manager at the same bank,” added Sandeep.
After PS Natt and Jagjit Singh Bajwa, who contested for the complainant in Mohali court on Thursday, prayed for compensation to the victim in view of the hardships the family have faced, the CBI recommended for compensation to the District Legal Services Authority, Mohali, requesting for reward of sufficient compensation to the victim/legal heirs as per the provisions of the Section 357-A (victim compensation scheme) of the CrPC.
