Lahore, April 29
A copy of the FIR registered against Shaheed Bhagat Singh in the then Lahore SSP's murder case in 1928 has been sought here to prove the innocence of the legendary freedom fighter.

Petitioner Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi, chairman of the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation, had filed a petition seeking attested copy of the FIR registered against Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru for allegedly killing then SSP John P Saunders.

The additional district and sessions court on April 11 had ordered the police to provide Qureshi a copy of the FIR.

During yesterday's hearing, Qureshi told the court that he had shown the court order to the police but they refused to give him a copy of the FIR. The sessions court issued a notice to Lahore Police chief Chaudhry Shafiq regarding compliance of the court's order. The judge adjourned the hearing for two weeks.

Qureshi said the Punjab police legal affairs office had records from 1895 to 1928. But the police did not give him the FIR registered in 1928 when the SSP was killed.

He said special judges of tribunal handling Singh's case awarded death sentence to him without hearing 450 witnesses in the case. Singh's lawyers were not given the opportunity of cross-question them.

Qureshi has also filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking reopening of the Singh's case. "I want to establish his innocence in the murder case," he said.

The Lahore High Court has referred the case to the chief justice for constitution of larger bench.

In March 1931, following his trial for involvement in the 'Lahore conspiracy case', the British government hanged Singh at Shadman Chowk, aged 23. — PTI