Sumedh Saini flees from Punjab after getting booked in a three decade old Enforced Disappearance case

CHANDIGARH, Punjab—An FIR No. 77/2020 has been registered against the former Punjab DGP Sumedh Saini in Mataur police station of Mohali in relation to the enforced disappearance of Sikh youth Balwant Singh Multani. In 1991, Balwant Singh Multani was abducted along with father and uncle of Prof. Devender Pal Singh Bhullar and trio of them were taken to the Qadian police station after which they didn’t appear again.

Media reports reveal that an FIR under sections 364 (kidnapping or abduction in order to murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 344 (wrongful confinement), 330 (voluntarily causing hurt to exhort confession) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) has been registered by the Mohali police on the complaint of Multani’s brother.

Meanwhile, it has come to fore that Sumedh Saini has fled from Punjab and is said to be in Delhi after facing denial to enter Himachal Pradesh early this morning.

Case Background:

In 1991, the Punjab police had abducted Balwant Singh Multani from his residence immediately after an attack on Sumedh Saini in Chandigarh. Four cops deployed in the security of Saini were killed in this attack while he survived the attack.

In 2007, the Punjab & Haryana High Court had ordered a CBI inquiry. The CBI had found enough evidence against Sumedh Saini after which an FIR was registered against Sumedh Saini along with three other cops namely SP (Operations) Baldev Singh Saini, SI Harsahai Sharma and Jagir Singh on July 4, 2008.

Later, this FIR was quashed by the Supreme Court of India after Saini challenged CBI inquiry and the High Court’s decision.

Now, the Mohali police have registered a fresh FIR on the complaint of victim Balwant Singh Multani’s brother against Sumedh Saini, SP (Operations) Baldev Singh Saini, SI Harsahai Sharma, SI Jagir Singh, SI Savir Singh, SI Anoop Singh, Kuldeep Singh and other unknown police cops.