The state government has told Punjab and Haryana high court that a special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up to probe four deaths in an alleged 1986 police firing at Nakodar town reported after incidents of sacrilege.
The government on Saturday produced an office order of May 31 issued by SSP (rural), Jalandhar, stating that SIT comprising SP (investigation), Jalandhar rural, DSP (SD, Jalandhar rural), and SHO, police station Sadar, (Jalandhar rural) have been tasked with the probe and submit a comprehensive report.
The plea was filed in 2019 by one Baldev Singh of Jalandhar, whose son was killed in the firing. He had sought registration of a criminal case of murder against then district magistrate (DM), Darbara Singh Guru; then senior superintendent of police (SSP) Mohd Izhar Alam, and then SP (Operations) Ashwani Kumar Sharma.
As per the plea, four “birs” of Guru Granth Sahib were burnt on February 2, 1986, at Nakodar, and as a fallout, when a group of Sikhs were protesting on February 4, police allegedly fired 300 rounds on them. Four men, including the son of the petitioner, were killed on the spot. Those who died in the firing were Ravinder Singh, Harminder Singh, Baldhir Singh and Jhilman Singh.
The plea alleged that the police got permission from DM in writing to conduct the post-mortem of the dead bodies during night hours due to a tense situation, where after, they were cremated clandestinely, without informing parents.
{{/usCountry}}The plea alleged that the police got permission from DM in writing to conduct the post-mortem of the dead bodies during night hours due to a tense situation, where after, they were cremated clandestinely, without informing parents.
{{/usCountry}}Then government appointed justice (retd) Gurnam Singh Inquiry Commission, and a report was submitted in 1986, but the government “sat on the report”. The report was tabled in Vidhan Sabha in January 2001, the fact which the petitioner came to know in 2019 after some political leaders raised the issue, the plea had stated.
The government has also told the court that four FIRs stood registered into this incident and further that allegations in the petition of a portion of the report going missing are also correct. The plea now stands disposed of in view of the government’s statement.