Amritsar encounter case: Ex-cop guilty of fabricating records
Mohali, October 27
A Mohali court today convicted a former Punjab cop of framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save a person from punishment in a 1992 encounter case.
The court convicted Tarsem Lal, the then incharge of the CIA-Majitha in the case, while acquitting another cop Dharam Singh. The matter related to kidnapping, illegal confinement and then killing of Daljit Singh, a resident of Khiala, Amritsar.
Two other accused in the case, Swaran Singh and Avtar Singh, had died during the trial. The sentence will be pronounced on November 3.
Dharam Singh and Tarsem are presently in jail serving life imprisonment in another encounter case.
According to information available, Kashmir Singh, father of Daljit Singh, had in the year 1994 filed a writ before the Punjab and Haryana High Court alleging that he, along with his sons Baljit Singh and Rajwant Singh, were picked up on December 13, 1992, from their residence by a police team headed by Dharam Singh, SHO, Lopoke police station. On their information, Kashmir’s third son Daljit Singh was taken into custody from the residence of his relative at Nai Abadi, Amritsar.
It was stated in the writ that he and his two sons were let off after a few days, but Daljit was not released. It was demanded in the writ that Daljit be produced before the court. Upon notice, the SSP of Majitha and the SHO of Lopoke filed a reply before the High Court. They denied picking and abducting Daljit Singh.
In 1996, the High Court ordered a judicial inquiry by the District & Sessions Judge, Amritsar, during which it came on record that the police had shown Daljit Singh killed in an encounter on December 29, 1992, along with one Jagir Singh, a resident of Awan Lakha Singh.
The judicial inquiry also found allegations of Kashmir Singh true and recommended an independent probe.
However, the apex court had in 1995 ordered a CBI inquiry into the matter of cremation of a large number of bodies as unclaimed. Therefore, the matter of Daljit Singh was also taken over by the CBI and the petition of Kashmir Singh was disposed of with a direction to pay compensation to the petitioner.
In 1997, the CBI registered a case on a complaint of Kashmir Singh and in the year 2001, the agency filed a chargesheet against Dharam Singh, Tarsem Singh, Swaran Singh and Avtar Singh for kidnapping, illegal confinement, murder and fabrication of record. However, the trial of the case remained stayed till 2016 due to petitions filed by the accused before higher courts.
Finally, the CBI court of Rakesh Kumar Gupta today pronounced the judgment in the case. As many as 17 witnesses had recorded their statements in the case and eight had died during the trial.
Last month, Jagir Singh, who was shown as killed with Daljit Singh, appeared before the court. During the trial, the complainant and his family members turned hostile and deposed in favour of the accused police officers which resulted in their acquittal in connection with kidnapping and murder charges.
