After 24 Years – 8 Policemen Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Killing 5 Sikhs

PATIALA, Punjab—March 31, 2015, a CBI court in Patiala sentenced eight policemen, including a retired Superintendent of Police, to life term in two fake encounter cases dating back to 1992. The CBI used post-mortem reports and injury marks on the victim’s bodies to prove the Punjab Police guilty of murder.

Out of the 24 police officers named in the two seperate charge-sheets, 16 were let off. Those who were sentenced to life were; Retired SP Ram Singh, Retired Inspector Ajit Singh, Inspectors Ajaib Singh and Amrik Singh, Sub-Inspector Harbhajan Singh, Assistant Inspector Sukhwant Singh and Constables Rajinder Kumar and Nand Singh.

“Both cases are interlinked since the police ensured there were no witnesses to the crime. But, the post-mortem reports and other evidence have helped the CBI nail their lie,” said HPS Verma, senior counsel for the victims’ family.

In 1997, following a court petition by the parents of Rajwinder Singh, Mukhtiar Singh and Baljeet Singh — all of whom were policemen and undergoing training at Ladha Kothi, Sangrur, the CBI registered charges against the accused. While Baljeet Singh’s body was handed over to his family, police declared Rajwinder Singh and Mukhtiar Singh as ‘absconders’ and their families have been unable to perform their last rites.

The CBI chargesheet also states the police picked up Delhi-based Vijaypal and his associate from Delhi, in connection with a bomb blast that took place in Kapurthala. During interrogation, the two claimed the involvement of the Rajwinder, Mukhtiar and Baljeet Singh in the blast. The police claim, “on September 4, 1992, a police convoy carrying Vijaypal and his associate along with the three trainee policemen named by Vijaypal in his alleged confessional statement, came under a terror attack”.

During this crossfire, the police claim Baljeet Singh along with Vijaypal and his associate, died on the spot, while Rajwinder Singh and Mukhtiar Singh escaped from police custody, never to be traced again. The alleged attack reportedly took place near Kapurthala. However, during the post-mortem grievous injuries found on Vijaypal and Baljeet Singh suggested they had been brutally tortured. The doctors found their skulls and brains badly damaged, and it was on this basis the CBI helped to ensure a justice that has taken almost 24 years to be delivered.