Amritsar encounter: Magisterial inquiry begins, police form three-member SIT

Subdivisional magistrate, Ajnala, Amanpreet Singh on Friday visited the encounter site along with senior police officials and examined the abandoned building and its adjoining area

Two days after two gangsters were killed in an exchange of fire with the Punjab Police at Hoshiar Nagar village in Amritsar, the district administration initiated a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Even Punjab Police have formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the encounter.

Jagroop Singh, alias Roopa, and Manpreet Singh, alias Mannu, who were suspected to be among the six shooters who killed Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, were eliminated in a five-hour-long encounter in Amritsar district on Wednesday.

Jagroop Singh, alias Roopa, and Manpreet Singh, alias Mannu, who were suspected to be among the six shooters who killed Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, were eliminated in a five-hour-long encounter at an abandoned house, where they were holed up about 14 kilometres from the India-Pakistan border, on Wednesday.

Subdivisional magistrate, Ajnala, Amanpreet Singh on Friday visited the encounter site along with senior police officials and examined the abandoned building and its adjoining area. Confirming the development, Amritsar deputy commissioner (DC) Harpreet Singh Sudan said the magisterial probe has been initiated as per the Supreme Court guidelines. The SDM will record the statements of police officials and others involved in the encounter.

Meanwhile, senior superintendent of police (SSP, rural), Amritsar, Swapan Sharma confirmed about the formation of a three-member SIT to probe the shootout. Superintendent of police (SP-headquarters) Prithipal Singh, deputy superintendent of police Sanjiv Thakur and inspector Gurwinder Singh are its members, said sources.

Duo received 4 bullet injuries each

Earlier on Thursday night, the postmortem of both the accused was conducted at Government Medical College (GMC) in Amritsar by a board of three doctors under the supervision of the magistrate.

One of the doctors, while seeking anonymity, said each deceased had received four bullet injuries. “Roopa had bullet wounds in his shoulder, stomach, neck and a leg. Similarly, Mannu received bullet injuries in his head, shoulder, back and a leg. A bullet that hit in Roopa in the stomach got stuck in the spinal cord, causing delay in the autopsy,” he said.

The bodies of both the gangsters were handed over to their families around Thursday midnight after their postmortem. Roopa’s cremation was conducted at his village Jaura falling under the Patti subdivision of Tarn Taran around 2:30 am. Mannu’s cremation was conducted at his native village Kussa in Moga around the same time amid heavy police presence.

Abandoned building owner to be quizzed

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP, investigation), Amritsar, Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar said police will also question Balwinder Singh, aka Billa, who reportedly owned the abandoned building where the gangsters were holed up.

According to some residents of Hoshiar Nagar, Billa had purchased the building along with agricultural land adjoining it around five to six years ago. Police are also investigating how and why the duo reached the building. Earlier, police had said that they had come to know that the gangsters were dropped by a car.