'Killed' 31 years ago in a 'fake encounter', CBI finds Patiala man alive

Mohit Khanna

Patiala, October 16

A local resident, Jagir Singh (71), has turned out to be alive after being declared dead along with an accomplice Daljit Singh in a police encounter at Ajnala 31 years ago.

The CBI is already prosecuting four Punjab Police cops, two of whom are already dead, for allegedly killing Jagir Singh and Daljit Singh in the ‘fake’ encounter on December 29, 1992. Kashmir Singh, father of Daljit Singh, had sought action against the police officials. He pleaded the bodies of his son Daljit and an accomplice were never shown to the family members.

The CBI found that Jagir was not just alive, but has even spent 15 years as a convict in a drug smuggling case in the Amritsar jail. The case under the NDPS Act was, incidentally, registered at the same Ajnala police station, where the FIR of the police encounter with his name and details was registered. Also, he runs a real estate business in Patiala while remaining dead in official records. He has amassed a huge property and one of his sons is settled in Australia. He is said to have remained active in Majitha region of Amritsar.

The case has come to light when the CBI found him in Patiala. Ashok Bagoria, special public prosecutor for the CBI appearing in the case of an alleged fake police encounter, had submitted before the CBI court recently that Jagir was alive. Subsequently, he appeared before the CBI judge via video-conferencing on September 29. The official documents of the court proceedings confirmed that Jagir Singh deposed before the judge while being admitted to a private hospital here.

However, Jagir has gone incommunicado and all efforts to meet him failed. His son Ranjit Singh confirmed that his father was alive but he was actually a victim of the conspiracy. Ranjit also claims his father was not convicted of drug smuggling.