CHANDIGARH, Punjab— In the investigation of Shaheed Bhai Jaspal Singh Chaur Sidhwan murder case, retired Session Judge BC Gupta has given a clean chit to police officers Varinder Pal Singh and Manpreet Singh. These two officers were serving as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), respectively, at Gurdaspur when the police had been ordered to fire on Sikh youths, who were protesting against the death sentence of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana.
Bhai Jaspal Singh was one of the youth protesting, and was shot dead in the cold blooded shooting carried out by the police. The Punjab and Haryana High court was indicated via an affidavit filed by S.S. Channi, chief secretary of department of home affairs. In addition 172 policeman, 40 ordinary persons, and 6 officers were queried during the investigation. A total of 71 firearms have been sent to forensic’s lab for testing, requiring additional time to complete.
The court was urged to extend the deadline for completion of investigation. Inspector-General (IG) (crime) Nageshvar Rao said in a reply that he has assumed the charge just one month ago, and yet he was still receiving information that could take more time to review, so he additional time be given to him. A divisional bench of high court comprised of Chief justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, and Justice Arun Palli, has slated the next hearing of the case on May 27. Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Saini, and principal secretary Rakesh Singh, have been summoned personally by the court.
