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Ex-jathedar’s disappearance, ‘murder’: Kaunke’s wife files complaint, wants action against 21 cops
After 31 years of mysterious disappearance and alleged murder of former Akal Takht jathedar Gurdev Singh Kaunke, his wife Gurmail Kaur filed a formal complaint with the Ludhiana rural police seeking a first information report (FIR) against at least 21 police personnel, including two former director generals of police (DGPs)
Ludhiana : After 31 years of mysterious disappearance and alleged murder of former Akal Takht jathedar Gurdev Singh Kaunke, his wife Gurmail Kaur filed a formal complaint with the Ludhiana rural police seeking a first information report (FIR) against at least 21 police personnel, including two former director generals of police (DGPs).
Kaur submitted the complaint to the station house officer (SHO) of the Jagraon Sadar police station.
On Friday, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal along with SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami visited Kaunke’s family and assured complete support.
In her complaint, Kaur said her husband was taken into custody on December 20, 1992, by the then inspector Gurmeet Singh, SHO of Jagraon police station, but following the intervention of locals, he was released from police custody.
On December 25, 1992, the police again took him into custody. He was neither arrested formally or produced in any court but was kept in illegal custody and tortured, she alleged in her complaint.
Kaur said she met senior police officers on many occasions, but to no avail. She also filed a habeas corpus petition in the court for his release. The warrant officer raided the police station on January 2, 1993, but the police had not made any entry of his custody in the daily diary register, she alleged.
On the same day, inspector Gurmeet Singh registered an FIR for attempt to murder and under the Arms Act alleging that when he was taking Kaunke for the recovery of firearms, the police party was ambushed by unidentified terrorists and Kaunke escaped from Police custody in Sidhwan Bet. Later, the police filed an affidavit in the court stating that that Kaunke was wanted in a murder case lodged on December 8, 1992, the complaint further states.
“In the inquiry report submitted by BP Tiwari, the then ADGP (security), said that escape of Gurdev Singh Kaunke from police custody during an ambush by unknown terrorists was not believable,” said Kaur.
“The then DGP, Sarabdeep Singh, did not approve the report and passed an order that no action would be taken on the basis of the inquiry,” she added.
