Former SHO among two cops convicted in 1993 Patti fake encounter case

The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali on Monday held two former Tarn Taran police officials, including then station house officer (SHO) guilty of killing two persons in a fake encounter in the Bhagupura area of Patti in 1993

Mohali : The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali on Monday held two former Tarn Taran police officials, including then station house officer (SHO) guilty of killing two persons in a fake encounter in the Bhagupura area of Patti in 1993.

The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali on Monday held two former Tarn Taran police officials, including then station house officer (SHO) guilty of killing two persons in a fake encounter in the Bhagupura area of Patti in 1993.

The CBI special court of Rakesh Kumar Gupta convicted Sita Ram, 80, then Patti SHO, and constable Raj Pal, 57, then posted at the same police station.

CBI’s public prosecutor Anmol Narang said that Sita Ram was convicted under Section 302 (murder), 201 (act of destroying evidence of a crime or giving false information to shield an offender) and 218 (a public servant who intentionally creates an incorrect record or writing) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Rajpal was convicted under Sections 201 and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

The quantum of sentence will be awarded on March 6.

The court acquitted five accused, including Kashmira Singh Gill the then DSP who retired as AIG, by giving benefit of doubt.

A total of 11 police officials were charged for kidnapping, illegal confinement and murder but four suspects died during trial.

The CBI had conducted investigation in this case on the basis of orders of the apex court passed in 1995. Initially, the CBI conducted preliminary inquiry and recorded statement of one Gian Singh on November 27, 1996. The prime investigating agency eventually registered a case in February 1997 at Jammu against ASI Norang Singh and others of police post, Kairon, and police station, Patti.

The case

On January 30, 1993, Gurdev Singh, alias Deba, of Galalipur, Tarn Taran, was picked from his residence by a police party headed by ASI Norang Singh, in-charge of police post, Kairon, Tarn Taran.

It was alleged that on February 5,1993, another man Sukhwant Singh was picked by a police party headed by ASI Didar Singh of police station, Patti, from his residence at Bahmniwala village, Tarn Taran.

Counsel for the victims’ families Sarabjit Singh Verka said both the victims were shown as killed in an encounter on February 6, 1993, in Bhagupura and a case was registered at the Patti police station by concocting a story of encounter.

Bodies of both the deceased were cremated unclaimed and were not handed over to the families.

“It was claimed by the police at that time that both were involved in 300 cases of murder and extortion besides other criminal cases. During the CBI investigation, this fact was found incorrect,” Verka said.

Post investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet on January 18, 2000, against 11 police officials of Tarn Taran, including Norang Singh, ASI Deedar Singh, Kashmir Singh the then DSP, Patti, Sita Ram, the then SHO Patti Darshan Singh, Gobinder Singh, the then SHO Valtoha, ASI Shamir Singh, ASI Fakir Singh, and constables Sardool Singh, Rajpal and Amarjit Singh.

Charges were framed against them in 2001 but thereafter the case was stayed till 2021 by higher courts on the basis of petitions of accused with a plea of sanction required under the Punjab Disturbed Area Act, 1983, which were later on dismissed.

Four of the accused, including Sardool Singh, Amarjit Singh, Didar Singh and Sameer Singh, died during the trial.

“Surprisingly all the evidence collected by the CBI disappeared from the judicial file of this case. The record was reconstructed on orders of Punjab and Haryana high court and finally after 30 years, statement of the first prosecution witness was recorded in 2023,” other counsels for the victims, Jagjit Singh Bajwa and Pushpinder Natt, said adding that the CBI had cited 48 witnesses in this case but only 22 deposed and 23 died during delayed trial and due to this, some of the accused are acquitted.

Advocate Shebaz Singh, counsel for the AIG Kashmira Singh Gill said his client was acquitted as the prosecution failed to prove the allegations that he was the mastermind behind the encounter.

Son of Sukhwant Singh, Rajbir Singh, who is head constable at the Phase-8 Mohali police station said that he was only five-year-old when his father was killed by cops.

“Our family was ruined, and I had a difficult childhood. We will challenge the acquittal of suspects, including Gill, in the high court,” Rajbir said.