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Former Punjab Police ASI gets 10-year jail in 1992 Amritsar fake encounter case
CBI court also imposes ₹20,000 fine on former Punjab Police ASI in fake encounter that took place at Amritsar district’s Sathiala village in 1992
The special CBI court in Mohali on Thursday awarded 10-year rigorous imprisonment to former Punjab Police assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Amrik Singh in a 1992 fake encounter incident that took place at Sathiala village of Beas in Amritsar district.
CBI judge Harinder Kaur Sidhu had on Wednesday held Amrik guilty of kidnapping and murder of Gurvinder Singh (20), a resident of Pheruman village in Amritsar district. Another accused, inspector Wassan Singh, who was also charged with ex-ASI Amrik Singh, died during the trial.
Besides, the judge on Thursday imposed a fine of ₹20,000 on the convict and in case of default of payment of the penalty he will have to undergo one-year extra rigorous imprisonment.
The convict, who was sentenced under section 364 (to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 10 years) of the Indian Penal Code, broke down in the courtroom. He was sent to the Patiala jail.
The judge said even as the convict had no criminal background, the offence committed by him was “grave and of serious nature”.
On July 21, 1992, a police party raided the house of Gurvinder and picked his father Chanan Singh. On the disclosure of Chanan, Gurvinder was picked from the house of his uncle in Jalandhar. Though Chanan was released, Gurvinder was shown as killed in an encounter the next day.
The case was handed over to the CBI in 1997 and charges were framed against two accused three years later. The police claimed that Gurvinder was involved in murders, extortions and kidnappings, but the allegations turned out to be false during the trial.
It took us 30 years to get justice, says victim’s family
The family of the fake encounter victim, Gurvinder Singh, on Thursday said it was unfortunate that it took them nearly three decades to get justice in the case.
The deceased brother, Parminder Singh (47), who was present in the court, said, “After the incident, my family was completely shattered. My father became mentally unstable due to the cold-blooded murder of Gurvinder who wanted to join the police force. He had just completed his intermediate and was planning to get enrolled in college, but he was picked up by police and killed in a fake encounter. Even I was sacked as a police constable eight days after the incident.”
“Will they give me justice now?” he questioned.
The deceased’s cousin Jagtar Singh said, “When the CBI registered a case in 1997, we were hopeful of getting justice soon. But even then it took 29 years to get justice. The CBI should have booked other associates of the accused who killed our brother.”
