FRESNO, CA—The entire Punjabi community of California was shocked at the news of a murder-suicide by a man of Punjabi origin in the small town of Selma, located south of Fresno. This past week, a former Indian army officer, Avtar Singh, shot his wife and two of his children, and partially spared the third before he took his own life.
As per media reports, Avtar, who was wanted for murder in India, was also arrested in California on charges of choking his wife but was released on bail just a year ago. US authorities had asked their Indian counterparts to expedite Avtar’s case so that he could be extradited—but a delayed response has now led to the deaths of three members of the same family.
Avtar was wanted in the 1996 death of Jalil Andrabi, a human rights activist and prominent lawyer in Kashmir, located north of India. Arshad Andrabi, brother of Jalil Andrabi, has argued that if the Indian Government had not delayed the extradition process, the family members would have been alive today.
Many believe that his extradition was delayed deliberately by Indian authorities since he was used by the Government to murder innocent people in Kashmir. This confession was made by Avtar himself during press interviews and fingerprints have already proved his involvement in the murders during the course of his military duty in India. Had he committed any criminal acts against the country, his deportation would have been quick.
This past week on Sunday, Avtar called the Selma Police around 6 AM and claimed to have just killed four people. Due to Avtar’s military experience, a SWAT team was sent to the spot, but by that time, Avtar had also killed himself. His third son, aged 17, suffered severe head trauma and is currently in critical condition at a Fresno hospital.
Following the news of the killing, the US Government has also come into question for granting bail to Avtar. According to authorities, he could not have been kept in custody because the Indian Government had not taken the steps to extradite him.
In an interview with ABC News last year regarding the Kashmir murder, Avtar had claimed that he was a scapegoat, and even though he had killed people, it was part of his military duty. He had alleged that it is not just the Indian Government that wants him, even al-Qaeda was after him.
