Jaitu court summons AAP leader Mehta, 4 cops in 2016 murder case
A sub-divisional judicial court in Jaitu in Faridkot district has summoned Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) president Amarjeet Mehta and five others in connection with a nine-year-old murder case. They are accused of giving false information to shield an offender and committing other criminal offences
BATHINDA : A sub-divisional judicial court in Jaitu in Faridkot district has summoned Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) president Amarjeet Mehta and five others in connection with a nine-year-old murder case. They are accused of giving false information to shield an offender and committing other criminal offences.
Sub-divisional judicial magistrate Shaminder Pal Singh has directed the six individuals, including four cops, to appear in court on March 6 to face trial for their roles in the 2016 murder of Ajmer Singh. The summons followed a judicial inquiry conducted by the magistrate’s predecessor and a protest petition filed against the cancellation report by Faridkot police.
The complainant’s lawyer, Jagdeep Singh, said the judicial probe was initiated after Ajmer’s mother, Manjit Kaur, filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in 2018.
In the summons issued on February 20, sub-divisional judicial magistrate referred to discrepancies in the police theory aimed at concealing the facts behind Ajmer’s murder. Initially, Ajmer was portrayed as a notorious gangster who was killed in self-defence on May 25, 2016.
Ajmer and his brother Ranjit, both kabaddi players, were reportedly employees of a liquor contractor. It was alleged that Mehta, a senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader from Bathinda, and his associate Dharampal Singh Goel, who were also involved in the liquor business, had been pressuring liquor contractors in Faridkot to either sell their shares to them or divert their liquor quotas.
Ranjit alleged that Ajmer was chased by Mehta, Goel and police officials — sub-inspector Lachman Singh, constables Parminder Singh, Dharminder Singh and Kabal Singh — before being shot dead.
The FIR filed on May 26, 2016, by then Jaitu SHO Lachman Singh stated that during night patrol, two armed men opened fire on the police team. In self-defence, a constable used his rifle, and one of the gunshots hit Ajmer, who was later identified as the victim. The report also mentioned an SUV arriving at the scene, where unidentified men took the injured person away.
A judicial probe was initiated and a murder case was filed on June 7, 2021. A special investigation team (SIT), led by DSP Jatsinder Singh, concluded that the police acted in self-defence. Based on this, the SIT recommended filing a cancellation report. However, Ajmer’s mother contested this, and the then magistrate rejected the cancellation report on July 30, 2024.
The current magistrate found several issues with the police’s version of events. According to the police, two armed individuals were in the car, but the investigation found no evidence of a second weapon. Additionally, police claimed that a gunshot hit the police vehicle, allegedly fired by the person accompanying Ajmer. However, the SIT concluded that Ajmer was the one who fired the shot. Furthermore, the police had labelled Ajmer a member of the notorious Davinder Bambiha gang, but no supporting evidence was found in the investigation.
The magistrate’s order also cited the judicial inquiry report, which found that the investigation by the DSP Jagdish Kumar Bishnoi was inadequate, raising suspicions that the probe was designed to protect the real culprits. The order mentions that the police tortured Ajmer’s brother, Ranjit Singh, and filed false charges against him under the NDPS Act and Excise Act to pressure him. Ranjit was later acquitted in both cases.
The court also noted that SHO Lachman Singh and other senior police officials attempted to dissuade Ajmer’s family from pursuing the case, even offering a compensation package of ₹35-40 lakh from his own funds. When the family refused, they were allegedly threatened with dire consequences.
