1992 fake encounter: 3 former Punjab Police cops sentenced to life

On September 8, the court convicted then DSP Gurdev Singh then inspectors Dharam Singh and Surinder Singh of conspiracy, murder and fabrication in the case.

The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali on Thursday sentenced three former Punjab Police cops to life imprisonment in a 1992 fake encounter case in which three youths were killed.

On September 8, the court convicted then DSP Gurdev Singh then inspectors Dharam Singh and Surinder Singh of conspiracy, murder and fabrication in the case.

The special CBI court of RK Gupta also imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh each on the cops.

The victims were identified as Harjit Singh, Lakhwinder Singh and Jaspinder Singh. On September 8, the court convicted then DSP Gurdev Singh then inspectors Dharam Singh and Surinder Singh of conspiracy, murder and fabrication in the case. The accused were also convicted under Section 218 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for submitting incorrect records.

Harjit was picked from Thathian bus stand on April 29, 1992, and was killed on May 12, 1992, along with Lakhwinder and Jaspinder in a fake encounter by a police party headed by SI Dharam Singh, the then SHO of Lopoke police station.

Of the nine accused, including a police informer named in the case, five died during the trial, while assistant sub-inspector Bhupinder Singh was declared a proclaimed offender.

There were a total of 55 witnesses in the case but statements of 27 could be recorded as some of them died during the trial. Marred by delays, the first witness’ statement was recorded in 2016.

Harjit’s father filed a writ before the Punjab and Haryana high court, alleging that his son had been forcibly taken into custody on April 29, 1992, near Thathian bus stand in Sathiala, Amritsar. He further claimed that Harjit Singh was held at Mall Mandi interrogation centre in Amritsar.

In response to the allegations, the high court deputed a warrant officer to secure Harjit’s release. On May 30, 1997, the high court transferred the investigation of the case to the CBI.

The CBI began its probe in 1998 and found that Harjit was abducted by police informer Daljit Singh, alias Motu, head constable Satbir Singh and other cops on April 29, 1992. He was killed in a police encounter on May 12, 1992. The police party responsible for this act was headed by sub-inspector Dharam Singh, who was then the station house officer (SHO) at the Lopoke police station.

The bodies of the victims were not handed over to their families but were cremated by the police as unclaimed, stated the victims’ families in their plea.

The CBI presented charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), and 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture).

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How the case unfolded

April 29, 1992: A youth, Harjit Singh, picked by police from Thathian bus stand in Sathiala, Amritsar

May 12, 1992: Harjit and two others --- Lakhwinder Singh, and Jaspinder Singh --- all in their 20s, killed in an encounter

May 30, 1997: High court transfers case to the CBI

1998: CBI begins probe

2016: Statement of first witness recorded

September 8, 2023: Special CBI court hold three cops guilty