Mohali, March 4 – A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali on Monday convicted two former police officials from Tarn Taran for killing two men in a staged encounter in Patti’s Bhagupura area in 1993.
Former Patti Station House Officer (SHO) Sita Ram, 80, and constable Raj Pal, 57, were found guilty by CBI special judge Rakesh Kumar Gupta. The court convicted Ram under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), and 218 (falsification of records), while Pal was convicted under Sections 201 and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).
The sentencing is scheduled for March 6. Meanwhile, five others, including former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kashmira Singh Gill, who retired as an Assistant Inspector General (AIG), were acquitted due to a lack of conclusive evidence.
Case Details and CBI Probe
The case, rooted in police excesses during the Punjab militancy era, involved 11 officers charged with abduction, illegal detention, and murder. Four of the accused died during the trial.
The CBI began its probe in 1995 on Supreme Court orders, initially recording a statement from a key witness, Gian Singh, in 1996. A formal case was registered in Jammu in February 1997 against Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Norang Singh and others from the Kairon police post and Patti police station.
According to the prosecution, police picked up Gurdev Singh alias Deba from Galalipur, Tarn Taran, on January 30, 1993, under the command of ASI Norang Singh. Days later, on February 5, another man, Sukhwant Singh, was allegedly abducted from Bahmniwala village by a police team led by ASI Didar Singh.
Victims’ counsel Sarabjit Singh Verka said police falsely claimed the men were militants killed in an encounter on February 6, 1993. Their bodies were cremated as “unclaimed,” depriving their families of last rites.
“At the time, police accused them of involvement in over 300 cases of murder and extortion, but the CBI investigation found no evidence supporting these claims,” Verka said.
Following an extensive probe, the CBI filed a chargesheet on January 18, 2000, against 11 officers, including ASI Norang Singh, DSP Kashmira Singh, SHO Darshan Singh, and several others. However, legal hurdles stalled the case for decades.
Delayed Trial, Lost Evidence, and Acquittals
Although charges were framed in 2001, legal petitions citing the Punjab Disturbed Areas Act, 1983, delayed proceedings until 2021. By the time hearings resumed, key evidence had disappeared from court records.
“The judicial file lost crucial CBI evidence, forcing the Punjab and Haryana High Court to order reconstruction. It took 30 years for the first prosecution witness to testify, which finally happened in 2023,” said victims’ counsels Jagjit Singh Bajwa and Pushpinder Natt.
The CBI initially listed 48 witnesses, but due to the prolonged trial, only 22 testified, while 23 passed away. The loss of witnesses weakened the case, leading to multiple acquittals.
Advocate Shebaz Singh, representing AIG Kashmira Singh Gill, said his client was acquitted because prosecutors failed to prove his role in the encounter.
Meanwhile, Rajbir Singh, son of victim Sukhwant Singh and a head constable at Mohali’s Phase-8 police station, vowed to continue the legal battle.
“I was five years old when my father was killed. Our family was destroyed, and my childhood was difficult. We will challenge the acquittals in the high court,” Rajbir said.
