Murderous attack on Karanjit; role of police under scanner

PK Jaiswar

Amritsar, March 16

Days after Karanjit Singh, a resident of New Amritsar, who faced murderous attack by Nihang Sikhs near Nexus Mall on GT Road on March 5, the role of Punjab Police have come under scanner.

Last year Karanjit had approached the Director General of Punjab Police for constituting a special investigating team in killing of his wife Harwinder Kaur. She was shot dead in March 2021 in front of a police naka in Moga. He had also accused Moga police of conniving with prime suspect Gurinder Singh Ghali, an ex-militant of Khalistan Commando Force, for destroying the evidence in order to benefit him.

Ghali is also the prime accused in the murderous assault on Karanjit on March 5. He was currently in jail. The police have arrested a suspect, Sukhmandar Singh of Moga, in the case. He was currently on police remand. The police were also contemplating to bring Ghali on production warrant to probe into the case.

Investigations revealed that Ghali was relative of the victim. He along with his accomplices had shot Karanjit’s wife Harwinder Kaur dead near a police naka in Moga over an old enmity. The couple had gone for hearing in the case filed by Ghali at that time.

In September last year, Karanjit had shot a letter to the DGP, Punjab Police, seeking constitution of an SIT led by a senior IPS officer to probe into to the role of Moga police who he alleged had fabricated documents in order to benefit Ghali. In October, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has also directed the Punjab Police for act on his complaint within two months. However, the police failed to take any action in this regard.

In the letter Karanit had alleged that during his wife’s murder, the police had arrested Ghali on the spot and recovered the weapon used in the crime. His accomplices had managed to slip away at that time. However, in the report Ghali was shown to have escaped from custody of the police and arrested next day. His weapon was also shown seized from some other place.

Sarabjit Singh Verka, a prominent lawyer and human rights activist, pointed out that a controversy had erupted during 2017 Vidhan Sabha polls when AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had stayed at Ghali’s residence. Ghali was in England at that time. He said the government should hand over the case to CBI for impartial investigation.

Had written to DGP

In September last year, Karanjit had shot a letter to the DGP, Punjab Police, seeking constitution of an SIT led by a senior IPS officer to probe into to the role of Moga police.