Despite poll promise, Cong failed to take action in Nakodar killings: Kin of victims

The families of victims of Nakodar killings on Tuesday alleged that Captain Amarinder Singh led Congress government failed to take any action into the killings of four Sikh youths who were killed in police firing in 1986, despite being promised a probe during the last year general elections.

The families made the statement during a press conference in Jalandhar on the occasion of 34th death anniversary of the incident. Paramjit Kaur Khalra, wife of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was also present.

Baldev Singh Littran, father of one of the youths, said that Amarinder Singh and Jalandhar MP Santokh Singh had promised a probe into the incident last year, but till date, no action has been initiated.

“We feel that they raised the issue just to garner votes. They will too face similar fate like the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which too had not acted in the matter,” added Baldev Singh.

The families said that the state government is not sharing the second part of justice Gurnam Singh commission’s report as it failed to trace the case. They demanded that the state government should bring to justice erring officials who were named in Gurnam Singh’s report.

In August last, Punjab and Haryana high court had also ordered the home department of the state government to make available the second part of the commission report to the petitioner.

On Feb 4, 1986, four Sikh youths protesting against the Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege—Ravinder Singh Littran, Baldhir Singh Ramgarh, Jhilman Singh Gorsian and Harminder Singh Chaluper—were killed in police firing in Nakodar.

The then Alkali government had set up a commission of inquiry to find out if the police firing was unwarranted. The commission’s report was neither made public, nor any action taken on its findings. The report was tabled in the 2001 Punjab assembly by the SAD government.