A Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT) probing an alleged 1994 fake encounter case of one Sukhpal Singh of Gurdaspur has concluded that it was stage managed and as a consequence, a fresh criminal case has been registered against former inspector-general (IG) Paramraj Singh Umranangal, among others.
The SIT, constituted by the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC), was probing allegations of the fake encounter against cops including Umranangal, then a superintendent of police (SP, detective), Rupnagar. He is now being probed in a series of first information reports (FIR) including on allegations of drugs trade.
The SIT was constituted on a 2013 plea of Dalbir Kaur, whose husband Sukhpal Singh was killed allegedly in a fake encounter by Punjab Police. Allegations are that a police team led by Umranangal stage-managed the encounter and passed off Sukhpal’s body as that of terrorist Gurman Singh Bandala. Later, Bandala was found alive. As per the SIT, Bandala was arrested in 1998 in another case.
In its final status report before the HC, the SIT has stated that challan has been presented in a 2016 FIR registered in Batala into the episode against one Avtar Singh Tari and Sukhwinder Singh of Ludhiana.
Tari, who was declared proclaimed offender in December 2022, had recorded his statement before a magistrate. He stated that he was working as a police informer and took Sukhpal Singh to Ludhiana on July 13, 1994, where Sukhwinder Singh, also a police informer, was working to trace Gurnam Singh Bandala. In exchange of ₹5 lakh, he hatched the conspiracy and killed Sukhpal. Later, he handed over the body to inspector Gurdev Singh. Later the police showed that Bandala had been killed in an encounter.
{{/usCountry}}Tari, who was declared proclaimed offender in December 2022, had recorded his statement before a magistrate. He stated that he was working as a police informer and took Sukhpal Singh to Ludhiana on July 13, 1994, where Sukhwinder Singh, also a police informer, was working to trace Gurnam Singh Bandala. In exchange of ₹5 lakh, he hatched the conspiracy and killed Sukhpal. Later, he handed over the body to inspector Gurdev Singh. Later the police showed that Bandala had been killed in an encounter.
{{/usCountry}}Tari and Sukhwinder were charged with murder and challan presented before a Batala court on November 18, 2023.
As a consequence, the 1994 FIR under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act involving Sukhpal Singh, the victim who was killed in the fake encounter, registered in Rupnagar on false grounds, is being cancelled. A cancellation report has been submitted on December 2, 2023, the SIT led by Gurpreet Kaur Deo, special director general of police (CAD) has submitted in the court.
The SIT had also recorded Bandala’s statement. He said that he had also come to know about his “encounter” from media reports, but did not know whose body was being passed off as his.
As per the final status report submitted in HC, a fresh case of destruction and fabrication of evidence and various other sections was on October 21, 2023 registered in Rupnagar against Umaranangal, the then deputy superintendent of police (DSP, Morinda) Jaspal Singh and assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Gurdev Singh (now deceased). The probe, as per the report, is being conducted by SP (headquarters) Rupnagar.
Umranangal is already suspended in the 2015 Bargari firing case.