The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Tuesday, October 24, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

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I lied at Bibi’s behest: witness
By S. Satyanarayanan
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 23 — In a significant development in the Harpreet Kaur death case, a key witness has told a Judicial Magistrate under oath that he had given “false statements” to the CBI at the behest of SGPC President Bibi Jagir Kaur.

Dr Tarsem Singh had stated to the CBI that he had examined Harpreet Kaur on April 20 and declared her dead on way to Christian Medical College, Ludhiana. The doctor had also stated that Prof Jaswant Singh was also there when he examined the daughter of SGPC President.

Retracting from his earlier statement to the CBI, Dr Tarsem Singh, in his statement under Section 164 CrPC, to the Judicial Magistrate Mr Gulshan Kumar that “he and Prof Jaswant Singh did not visit the residence of Dalwinder Kaur Dhesi on April 20, the night Harpreet died there.”

He further stated that he did not examine Harpreet Kaur nor did he declare her dead.

He admitted that he had given wrong statements earlier during the preliminary enquiry conducted by CBI at the behest of Bibi Jagir Kaur, who asked him to say that he visited the residence of Mrs Dalwinder Kaur at Phagwara on April 20, examined Harpreet Kaur and informed Bibi who was in Chandigarh about her serious condition on phone and declared her dead on way to the CMC, Ludhiana.

Earlier, Prof Jaswant Singh had also made a similar statement before the Judicial Magistrate on October 18, 2000.

On October 19, Dr Satpal and his wife Mrs Dalbir Kaur, who is a nurse appeared in the court of Judicial Magistrate in the Patiala House Courts here and had deposed that Harpreet Kaur was brought to their clinic in Kartarpur on March 19, 2000 morning for abortion by Mr Paramjeet Singh and Mrs Dalwinder Kaur.

They told the court that Mr Paramjeet Singh and Mrs Dalwinder Kaur did not disclose the true identity of Harpreet Kaur and misled them into performing the abortion.

Earlier, the CBI team had identified their clinic in Kartarpur on October 10, 2000 at the instance of Mr Paramjeet Singh, who was in police custody at that time.

According to CBI sources, the retraction of the statement by the two key witnesses has strengthened the case against Bibi Jagir Kaur.

However, they pointed out, that the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) team is keen to interrogate Nishan Singh, the Special Protection officer of Bibi Jagir Kaur before closing in on the SGPC President.

Constable Nishan Singh of the Punjab police has been at large ever since the CBI had registered a case and had been asked twice by the CBI through his parent organisation to appear before it for questioning in the case. But, he failed to turn up both the times.

Now, the CBI has requested the Punjab police to trace him and direct him to appear before the agency’s SIC officials for questioning.

The agency had registered a case of criminal conspiracy (Section 120-B), culpable homicide (Section 304) wrongful confinement (Section 344), causing mis-carriage without woman’s consent (Section 313) and causing disappearance of evidence (Section 201) against Bibi Jagir Kaur and six others under the direction of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Bibi’s supporters meet Vedanti
From Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, Oct 23 — Even as supporters of Bibi Jagir Kaur today asked Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti to summon Mr Sukhjinder Singh, a former Akali Minister, his son Sukhpal Singh Khehra, a PPCC secretary, Kamaljit Singh (who claimed to be the husband of the deceased Harpreet Kaur) and his parents at Akal Takht, the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal urged the Jathedar to direct the SGPC chief to tender her resignation immediately.

Before submitting a memorandum to the Jathedar, the supporters of Bibi Jagir Kaur who had come from her assembly constituency held a meeting in front of Akal Takht as a show of strength. Mr Swarn Singh Josh, political secretary to the SGPC chief and senior vice-president of the district Shiromani Akali Dal, Kapurthala, who led the deputation claimed that sarpanches, panches and block samiti members from 80 villages expressed solidarity with Bibi Jagir Kaur. They demanded the summoning of Kamaljit Singh, his parents, Sukhjinder Singh and Jaspal Singh Khehra at Akal Takht.

Though Giani Joginder Singh admitted that he had received the memorandum, stated that this issue would not be discussed at the meeting of five Sikh high priests to be held at Akal Takht tomorrow. He, however, said he would comment on this issue only after reading the memorandum.

The memorandum, submitted to Giani Joginder Singh described the death of Harpreet Kaur as a ‘natural one’. They said it was being exploited by opponents of Bibi Jagir Kaur for political ends. It further states that the ‘patit’ Sikh Kamaljit Singh had falsely claimed that he had married a baptised Sikh (Harpreet Kaur) for political ends at the behest of Mr Sukhjinder Singh and his family members.

On the other hand, Mr Onkar Singh Arora, Member of the SGPC and district president (urban) of the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal, has urged Jathedar Joginder Singh to summon Bibi Jagir Kaur for resorting to show of strength. He alleged that the supporters of SGPC chief raised slogans in the Akal Takht complex which was against the Sikh maryada. He said Giani Joginder Singh should ask her to resign as SGPC chief in the wake of the registration of a case against her. “She is the only SGPC chief against whom the CBI has registered a criminal case”, he said. Mr Arora further alleged that those who killed their daughters had no place in Sikhism.

Mr Sukhpal Singh Khehra, secretary PPCC and son of Mr Sukhjinder Singh, while talking to TNS condemned Giani Joginder Singh for not initiating action against Bibi Jagir Kaur. He alleged that Giani Joginder Singh has lost credibility as Jathedar for not taking suo motu action against the SGPC chief.

Though Akal Takht Jathedar has denied that the issue of Bibi Jagir Kaur would be discussed in the meeting of Sikh high priests tomorrow, the matter could be discussed at length. The meeting of high priests would be crucial one as the election of the SGPC chief is due next month.

Bibi has no faith in judiciary: Kamaljit
Tribune News Service

JALANDHAR, Oct 23 — Kamaljit Singh, the alleged husband of Harpreet Kaur, the daughter of SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, today said he and his family were ready to present themselves before Akal Takht if summoned by Akal Takht Jathedar.

Mr Kamaljit, his mother Balwinder Kaur and sister Manjit were reacting to the demand of some supporters of Bibi Jagir Kaur, that Kamaljit be summoned before Akal Takht for acting against “Sikh norms” by raking up his ‘alleged affair’ with Harpreet Kaur.

He said his only request was that in case he be summoned. Bibi Jagir Kaur also be asked to be present, since it was not “Kamaljit but Bibi Jagir Kaur who had gone into hiding for fear of facing the truth and whose henchmen were trying to scare his family”

Kamaljit said if Bibi was not ready to accept his version, she should come out with the ‘facts’. Instead she had shown she had no faith in the judiciary. Which was why she had gone “into hiding”.

He also refuted her claim that former Education Minister Sukhjinder Singh had been using him against her by saying “I had gone to Mr Sukhjinder Singh to seek his help, and he did it in the capacity of a social and political figure of the area.” He also asserted that if anybody could prove that his allegations were baseless he would withdraw his case.

Meanwhile, the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal has condemned the burning of copies of a Jalandhar-based Punjabi daily by some Bibi loyalists, including SGPC members to protest against publishing of photographs of Kamaljit and Harpreet Kaur. Mr Jagjit Singh Gaba, president of the Jalandhar unit of the dal, said it was strange that the Punjab Chief Minister who had condemned curbs imposed on a vernacular during the Beant Singh regime, was now a mute spectator to the attack on the freedom of the press.