Dera deputy head murder: SIT finds loopholes in police probe, case handed over to Punjab vigilance
The special investigation team led by the DIG Ferozepur range has found many loopholes in the 2019 murder case probe
Faridkot
Police declaring “prime accused” innocent, disappearance of case file and cops taking bribe from the complainant to re-nominate the accused, the special investigation team (SIT) led by the deputy inspector general of police (DIG), Ferozepur range, found many loopholes in the 2019 murder case probe.
The Ranjit Singh-led SIT probe, a report of which was submitted to the Bureau of Investigation (BoI) on May 25, hints at the involvement of top-rank officials of the district in the shoddy probe. The investigation has now been handed over to the Punjab vigilance bureau (VB), said officials familiar with the matter.
On November 7, 2019, two shooters of the Devinder Bambiha gang shot dead Baba Dayal Das, 55, the deputy head of Harka Das Dera at Kot Sukhia village in Faridkot district.
Faridkot police named Baba Jarnail Das, head of another dera branch at Kapurewala village in Moga, as mastermind of the murder. Police had linked the murder to a succession war in the 80-year-old dera that has 12 branches in Punjab and Uttarakhand. The probe had found that Jarnail hatched the conspiracy to kill Dayal, but Punjab Police never arrested him and later gave him a clean chit.
In April, Gagan Das, who is officiating as in-charge of the dera since the death of Hari Das in May 2020, filed a complaint with the Punjab director general of police (DGP) alleging that cops “wrongly” declared “prime accused” Jarnail as innocent and accused Faridkot cops of taking bribe of ₹20 lakh to “re-nominate the prime accused” in the murder case. Following the complaint, a three-member SIT-led by DIG Ranjit Singh was constituted.
Following the submission of the probe report to the BoI on May 25, a case was registered under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Kotkapura sadar police station against Faridkot SP (investigation) Ganesh Kumar, deputy superintendent of police (DSP-narcotics) Sushil Kumar, sub-inspector (SI) Khem Chand Prashar, who is posted as in-charge of RTI branch at the office of inspector general of police (IGP), Faridkot range, and two others -- Jaswinder Singh and Sant Malkeet Das.
Moga DSP ignored facts: SIT
Jarnail was named as the prime accused in a chargesheet filed in August 2021. In September 2021, Jarnail filed an application through his follower claiming that he is “innocent”. The DIG asked Moga police to submit a report.
The SIT probe said that during the investigation, DSP Ravinder ignored facts. “Instead of going into the depth of reasons behind Dayal’s murder, the DSP relied on statements of residents to declare him innocent,” the SIT said, adding that the DSP did not investigate the matter “sincerely”.
Ex-DIG’s role under the scanner
The probe team said that a SP-led SIT had already probed allegations against Jarnail after the murder of Dayal and it was established he was the mastermind. “It was not appropriate for the then Faridkot DIG to write to the Moga SSP asking for an inquiry by naming a single DSP, who was posted in the home district of Jarnail. The Faridkot DIG accepted the report submitted by the DSP and Jarnail was declared innocent without any facts on record,” the SIT said.
HC rejected report
As Faridkot court had already summoned Jarnail in the murder case, he applied for bail in the Punjab and Haryana high court. During the hearing, Faridkot police filed a reply claiming that Jarnail is innocent. However, the HC refused to accept it and sought a reply from Faridkot range IG Pardeep Kumar Yadav.
On October 12, 2022, IG Yadav formed a three-member SIT-led by SP Gagnesh, while DSP Sushil and SI Prashar as members, to probe the matter.
SIT suspicious over reinstatement of SI
The SIT said It is suspicious that sub-inspector (SI) Prashar, who was dismissed from service, was reinstated on the job and later appointed in the important cell of the Faridkot IG range office. He was given investigation of important cases as a member of SIT. In 2019, Prashar was dismissed following his arrest on charges of extortion, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation. Prashar, who was the SHO of Maur police station was accused of taking 2kg gold from a person who had just returned from Dubai.
Cops took bribe in two instalments
Gagan claimed that on October 10, 2022, SP Gagnesh told him that Jarnail got a clean chit after giving money, so you have to pay ₹50 lakh to get him re-nominated. “Initially, I refused to pay the amount, but the deal was finalised for ₹35 lakh of which ₹20 lakh was supposed to be given in advance and ₹15 lakh after the arrest of Jarnail. ₹15 lakh was handed over to SP Gagnesh on November 9, 2022, and ₹5 lakh was given on November 11. DSP Sushil, Malkeet Das and Jaswinder were also there,” alleged Gagan.
Murder case file missing
“It was found that the SIT led by Manjit Singh failed to find the case file, which had gone missing during the investigation of SP Gagnesh-led SIT. Later, the Manjit-led SIT prepared a fresh case filed collecting the available evidence on directions of IG PK Yadav. Strict action should be taken against officials concerned for the disappearance of case file,” the DIG Ranjit led SIT said.
