CHANDIGARH, June 1 —A special CBI court on Saturday sentenced three former Punjab Police officials — including ex-Rawalpindi SHO Manjit Singh — to rigorous imprisonment in connection with the 1993 fake encounter killing of two youths from Phagwara.
Manjit Singh (72) and former Phagwara City SHO Gurmej Singh (84) were each handed eight years of rigorous imprisonment, while ASI Karamjit Singh (70) received a three-year sentence. All three convicts were also fined Rs 50,000 each. Constables Harjit Singh and Kashmir Singh were acquitted.
The case stems from the abduction and custodial killing of Palwinder Singh, alias Pappu, and Balbir Singh in March 1993. According to the chargesheet filed by the CBI, ASI Karamjit Singh, leading a Rawalpindi police party, forcibly took Palwinder Singh from his home in Rawalpindi village on March 27, 1993, while Manjit Singh picked up Balbir Singh the same day from Dhade village.
The two were held illegally for days before being shown as arrested in a theft case on April 3. Police claimed to have recovered a scooter and a gold ring from them. Within hours, however, the police alleged the two had escaped custody while being taken for recovery of weapons. Two days later, it was claimed they were killed in an encounter with Sultanpur Lodhi police.
The bodies were cremated as “unclaimed,” and no information was provided to the families.
In 1995, Palwinder Singh’s father, Darshan Singh, filed a habeas corpus petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, leading to a fact-finding inquiry by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kapurthala, which raised serious doubts about the police version. On the CJM’s recommendation, the High Court ordered a CBI probe in 2005.
Following investigation, the CBI registered a case on October 11, 2005, under Sections 120-B, 342, 365, 364, and 302 of the IPC, and filed a chargesheet in 2012 against five accused.
Mohan Singh (then SHO, Sultanpur Lodhi) and ASI Iqbal Singh died during the course of the investigation.
The prosecution’s case was significantly strengthened by testimonies from fellow officers. “Police officials Hardyal Singh, Nirmal Singh, and Daljit Singh testified that no encounter had taken place,” said Anmol Narang, CBI public prosecutor.
Defense claims were also challenged during the trial. Accused Harjit Singh and Kashmir Singh stated they had not signed any documents linked to the case, including alleged confessional statements. But the court found the evidence and testimonies of co-accused and fellow officers pivotal.
Sarabjit Singh Verka, the victims’ family counsel, said the ruling was a long-overdue affirmation of truth.
“The statements of co-accused and associate police officials played a vital role in proving that the arrest, escape, and encounter story was completely fabricated,” Verka said.
The verdict comes over three decades after the killings, closing one of Punjab’s long-pending custodial death cases.
