Amritsar, March 22: The Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) has called for a high-level judicial probe into the death of Border Security Force (BSF) jawan Jaswinder Singh, who died while in the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The non-governmental organization characterized the incident as a serious violation of human rights and raised concerns regarding the treatment of a serving soldier.
According to a statement released by the PHRO, Singh was arrested in Jammu and subsequently transported to Amritsar. The group questioned the legal procedures followed during this transition, asserting that the jawan’s family was not informed of the specific reasons for his arrest. Investigators Sarabjit Singh Verka and Dr. Khushal Singh stated that the circumstances surrounding the custody remain suspicious.
“This raises serious questions about the adherence to legal procedures,” Verka affirmed. He noted that the family has made specific allegations involving physical assault and mental harassment during the period Singh was held by federal agents.
The organization is seeking an inquiry supervised by a sitting High Court judge to establish the facts of the case. They maintained that if the post-mortem examination confirms signs of torture, a murder case should be registered against the NCB officials involved. The PHRO also requested that the autopsy be conducted by a medical panel under magisterial supervision and recorded on video.
The statement declared that the group intended to approach the Punjab Human Rights Commission to ensure those responsible are held accountable. Verka affirmed that such behavior toward a member of the armed forces is unacceptable and noted that the matter could be escalated to national and international human rights bodies if the government fails to act.
