Photo Source: ANI
Fake Encounter case: Two Former Punjab Police officers sentenced to life imprisonment after 33 years
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, February 4, 2025:- The court of Special Judge Rakesh Kumar Gupta of CBI Punjab, Mohali on Friday pronounced the verdict in another oldest case in which two youths were killed in an encounter by the police party of Majitha and Amritsar on 13.9.1992 and convicted former SHO of Majitha Gurbinder Singh and former ASI Parshottam Singh in this case.
The court acquitted Inspector Chaman Lal and DSP SS Sidhu, giving them the benefit of the doubt.
It was claimed by the then senior police officers that both were hardcore terrorists with a bounty on their heads and were involved in hundreds of cases of murder, extortion, loot etc., including the murder of Harbhajan Singh alias Shindi i.e. the son of the then cabinet minister Gurmej Singh in the Beant Singh government of Punjab.
The case was investigated by the CBI in 1995 on the orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court passed in the case of mass cremation of dead bodies by the Punjab Police.
During the investigation of the CBI, it was established that Baldev Singh alias Deba was picked up from his house at village Basarke Bhaini on 06.09.1992 by a police party led by SI Mahinder Singh and Harbhajan Singh, resident of village Chhahta.
Similarly, Lakhwinder Singh alias Lakha Ford, resident of village Sultanwind, was also arrested along with one Kulwant Singh from his rented house at Preet Nagar, Amritsar on 12.9.1992 by a police party led by SI Gurbhinder Singh, police station Majitha but later Kulwant Singh was released.
During the investigation, the CBI found that the police of Chheharta police station had falsely implicated Deba and Lakha in the murder case of the minister's son, who was killed on 23.7.1992 and on 12.9.1992 the Chheharta police had shown the arrest of Baldev Singh alias Deba in that murder case and on 13.9.1992 both were killed and the police had fabricated a story that while taking Baldev Singh alias Deba near village Sansara for recovery of arms and ammunition, there was an encounter with terrorists in which Baldev Singh alias Deba and an attacker who was later identified as Lakhwinder Singh alias Lakha alias Ford were killed.
The CBI concluded that both were picked up, kept in illegal custody and then killed in a false encounter.The CBI also found that there was no entry in the log books regarding the visit of the police vehicles at the time of the alleged encounter shown by the police.
The police also showed that the unidentified attacker who was killed during the encounter was identified as the injured Baldev Singh Deba, although according to Deba's postmortem report, he died instantly, so the argument of his identification does not hold.
As per the orders dated 15.11.1995, the Supreme Court had ordered a CBI inquiry into the case of mass cremation of dead bodies by the police and in compliance with these orders, the CBI registered Case/PE:2(S)/95/SIU-XV/Chandigarh and on 30.8.1999, the CBI filed a chargesheet against S.S.
Sidhu, Harbhajan Singh, Mahendra Singh, Parshottam Lal, Chaman Lal, Gurbhinder Singh, Mohan Singh, Parshottam Singh and Jassa Singh on charges of kidnapping, criminal conspiracy, murder, preparation of false records but the statements of the witnesses were recorded after 2022 as the case remained stayed on the orders of the High Courts during that period.
Although the CBI has cited 37 witnesses in this case, the statements of 19 witnesses have been recorded in the court because most of the witnesses given by the CBI died during the delayed trial and the case has finally been disposed of after 32 years.
Similarly, during this delayed trial, accused Harbhajan Singh, Mahinder Singh, Parshottam Lal, Mohan Singh and Jassa Singh also died and accused S.S. Sidhu then DSP, Amritsar, Chaman Lal then CIA Incharge, Amritsar, Gurbhinder Singh then SHO PS Majitha and ASI Parshottam Singh had to face trial in this case. Gurbhinder Singh and Parshottam Singh have been convicted under Section 302 R/W 120-B of the IPC and Gurbhinder has also been convicted under Section 218 and Parshottam 120-B R/W 218 of the IPC.