AMRITSAR, Punjab, India: Some unidentified gunmen killed 15 persons including nine members of a family in different incidents during the last two days in Punjab.
The Deputy Inspector General of C.R.P.F., S.S. Virk told the newsmen that Khalistan Liberation Force was responsible for these killings.
He said that some persons entered into a farm house at V. Cheema Bath, Distr. Amritsar, last evening and within minutes, all the nine family members were killed. The gunmen told the laborers to keep themselves behind the doors. No person tried to come on the scene, till next morning. Even the security forces, who heard the shots, came to the spot next morning at 9:00 a.m., 14 hours after the incident.
The villagers who were harassed by the police next morning for not informing the police said that it ‘was not possible for them to travel to Rayya, the headquarters of CRP.F. to inform them of the incident without any arms, during the night.
Mr. Virk admitted that the patrolling party of the C.R.P.F. heard the shots but could not locate the sight,
The dead in the attack included Hira Singh, his wife, Parkash Kaur (55), his nephew, Ranjit Singh, his wife Manjit Kaur, daughter Rajbeer (23) and his two minor children, Only two members of his family Surjit Singh and Kuldip Kaur son and daughter of Hira Singh escaped the grim fate as they had gone some-where else during that fateful night. Mr. Virk pointed out that the attack was made in order to punish Hira ‘Singh who was considered responsible for giving information to the police against his own son in law. The son in law was an active freedom fighter and but was killed in a fake encounter. He had strained relatives with his father in law and the freedom fighters suspected Hira Singh for supplying information to the police that resulted in his killing. A note left by the killers on the letterhead of the K.L.F. and allegedly signed by Bhai Avtar Singh Brahma stated that all police informers will meet the same fate.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 8, 1988
