This is a shocking case of the disappearance of a young man, Inderbir Singh Lalli, from the Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, Amritsar, where he was under doctors’ care as a serious patient.
In this connection, the PHRO received a complaint from Mr. Harkrishan Singh Sandhu, an advocate of Amritsar (Sandhu’s address: 37, Kennedy Avenue, Amritsar), alleging that the police was behind the young man’s disappearance who happened to be the advocate’s son. The father stated that the young man had been abducted by the police. He apprehended that his son may have been killed by the police in a fake encounter.
The PHRO asked its General Secretary, Mr. D.S. Gill, an advocate, and Mr. Gurcharan Singh Bal, also an advocate, to visit Amritsar, meet all concerned and make a report on the incident.
The members of the committee met the complainant and his wife, local journalists, Mr. Dinesh Kumar and Mr. R. Vinayak, doctors and other staff members of the hospital. The police flatly refused to co-operate and the committee had to rely on affidavits filed by the police officers concerned in a case before the Punjab and Haryana High Court for official version.
Inderbir Singh sustained a serious firearm injury in his chest on or about June 13, 1987 near Khalsa College, Amritsar. The young man’s father states that the young man received the injury as a result of a stray bullet hitting him when he was near the college. The police, on the other hand, maintains that Inderbir was involved in the murder of a Congress (I) leader, Mr. Kishen Lal Sharma, and that he suffered the injury in a cross fire indulged in by the group which attacked the Congress (I) leader. The police registered an F.1.R. in this connection.
The young man had been admitted on June 13, 1987, to the Sri Guru Teg Bahadur (SGTB) hospital by the parents. The police took him in its custody on June 14, 1987, and chained him. It is not clear whether the police formally arrested the young man and brought that matter on its record. However, from the hospital record it is evident that the patient was in the custody of the police. When Inderbir was shifted to the “sixth surgical ward” on November 1, 1987, the doctor concerned sent information in writing to the “head constable on duty” in the S.G.T.B. hospital. Earlier, on June 27, 1987, the Registrar of Surgery, Ili Unit, requested the head constable on duty to remove the patients’ handcuffs to facilitate his surgery in the operation theatre and otherwise make necessary security arrangements to guard him. The police deny having put any guard at the hospital to keep Inderbir under watch in view of “the patient’s serious condition” the doctor concerned, in fact, stated that the question of removing the patient’s handcuffs had been discussed with the head constable and a formal letter was also sent to him. It is evident from the hospital record that the police remained throughout in the picture guarding the patient. The Assistant Surgical Officer recorded on the file on January 15, 1988, that the patient was “taken from Ward at 5 p.m. on 15.1.88 by police (S.H.O. on duty)”. This statement of the A.S.O. is counter-signed by the House Surgeon.
The patient’s father and mother as well as a few colleagues of Mr.Harkrishan Singh Sandhu were present at the time of the police taking away the patient. The Committee verified this fact from the parents and other witnesses. The father showed copies of telegrams he gave to the Prime Minister, the Governor of Punjab and the Director-General of Police, Punjab, after he and his colleagues tried to follow the police party which took away the young man. One of these telegrams stated: “My son Inderbir Singh got discharged forcibly from ward No. 1 SGTB hospital. Removed by Sadar police in my presence. Also present Dr. Randhawa and Dr. Atul Bhatia at 5 p.m. today. False implication or encounter feared. Taken unknown place Harkrishan Singh Advocate”. The telegram bears the time 9.40 p.m. and is numbered PI-321 Amritsar dated 15.1.1988.
Gurdev Singh, Inspector S.H.O. police station Sadar, Amritsar, as well as Senior Superintendent, Police, Amritsar, Izhar Alam, in their affidavits filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 15, 1988, and January 24, 1988, respectively, denied having taken in police custody the patient. They claimed that Inderbir Singh was still in the hospital as he was “too serious to be removed by them.
There is plenty of evidence to conclusively prove that the control of the police was in full control of the patient from June 14, 1987 to January 15, 1988, 5 pm when the patient was forcibly taken away by the police party led by Inspector Gurdev Singh.
The committee recommends a high level enquiry by a credible agency to ascertain the whereabouts of the patient after his removal from the hospital by the police. This could not be done without proper interrogation of the police officers concerned.
The committee regrets that the police and the State Government are not paying proper attention to this grave violation of human rights despite hue and cry raised by the entire Bar of Amritsar.
