The Punjab Human Rights Organization has refuted the claim of the police that the Mess in-charge of a hostel of the Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ludhiana, was fired at and injured by the inmates of the Hostel when a Bathinda police party raided the college hostels early in the morning on September 6.

This was stated in a press release here by the PHRO General Secretary, Mr. D.S. Gill, who based his conclusion on the report of the fact finding committee consisting of Mr. Mohinder Singh Jawanda, Vice-President, and Mr. Bhupinder Singh Somal, (advocate) of the PHRO.

According to the findings of the report, the police version that the hostel inmates had fired shots from inside the premises resulting in injuries to Mr. Zora Singh, Canteen Manager, the police party fired four shots in self defence and this had recovered one revolver and some empties, is a mere concoction.

The probe panel after making spot enquiries found that Mr. Zora Singh (ex-serviceman) was proceeding to his duty at 3 a.m. as usual from his nearby residence when, all of a sudden, constables, Chaman Lal, Bhagwan Singh and Abdullah Khan of Ilc of the Gujrat Special Reserve Police (G.S.R. P.) led by its in-charge, G.S. Sekhawat, fired several rounds from their .303 rifles injuring Mr. Zora Singh who fell down in the veranda while rushing towards the hostel.

According to the eyewitness account, no shots were fired from inside the hostel, the report added.

The police contingent, Mr. D.S. Gill said, had a thorough search in and around the hostel but no arms or ammunition or any objectionable matter was recovered. However, a few students, who resented the shooting of their Mess Manager by the police, gave water to the injured. Mr. Manjit Singh a. nd Mr. Jagjot Singh, both second year Degree college students and hostel inmates, were taken into custody.

The Bathinda police party led by D.S.P. Randev Singh and assisted by the G.S:R.p. company numbering more than 100 raided the Guru Nanak Engineering College (G.N.E.) hostels to apprehend Bakhtawar Singh wanted by the police, Sangat Police station (Bathinda),allegedly hiding there. They did not seek permission nor did they inform the college authorities before raiding their premises at night.

The PHRO demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident as the matter was serious. The Mess employees and the students were terror struck while 75% hostel inmates left for their villages.

The human rights body urged all the educational institutions to raise a unanimous voice against the repression let loose on them and to collectively take up the matter before the higher State authorities. The managements and the staff of these institutions should not hand over their wards to the police without informing their parents. The P.H.R.O. had already received several complaints on this count.

19 – PROFESSOR RAJINDERPAUL SINGH GILL’S DEATH JANUARY 26, 1989

 The Ludhiana Senior Superintendent, Police, Mr. Sumedh Singh Saini, announced on 15.2.89 at Ludhiana that Prof. Rajinderpaul Singh Gill was one of the three “terrorists” killed in an encounter with the police on the night of 26.01.89.

The Punjab Human Rights Organization has carried out an investigation of the matter. The investigation was done by a team of three of its activists namely Mr D.S Gill, Mr Gurcharan Singh Bal and Mr Bhupinder Singh Somal, all advocates.

The investigators have come across strong evidence to suggest that Prof. Rajinderpaul Singh was taken in custody by the police from Sector 15, Chandigarh at about noon on 25.01.89. He usually lived in Jugiana village of Ludhiana district. He was Assistant Professor of Horticulture at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Prof. Rajinderpaul Singh Gill belonged to a political family and was associated with the United Akali Dal led by Baba Joginder Singh as a member of Advisory Board. He came to Chandigarh to meet one of his relations at Punjab University.

Prof. Rajinderpaul Singh travelled by a tractor (PBR 8051) to Chandigarh. The arrest of Prof. Rajinderpaul Singh was made by a police party from Ludhiana which included Shri Sant Kumar, SHO, Payal police station. The tractor was driven to Sadar police station, Ludhiana, by a police constable. This tractor was seen by a few witnesses in the Sadar Police station. These witnesses included Mr Major Singh Mangat, advocate, who had gone to the police station to report the loss of his pistol. Mr Mangat saw the tractor at about 10 pm on 26.01.89. He heard the SHO, Kanwarjit Singh of the Sadar police station, Ludhiana, reprimanding his juniors as to why they brought the tractor to the police station when the order was that it should be taken to Ladhowal near Ludhiana. This place is very close to the alleged place of encounter which, according to the police, took place at 11.55pm on 26.1.89.

Prof. Rajinderpaul Singh was brought to the Crime Investigating Agency(CIA) Staff head office at Ludhiana at about 10.30pm on 25.01.89 along with others. Mr Harpreet Singh, a close relation of Mr Surjan Singh Thekedar, a senior Akali Leader, was also at the CIA staff head office when he saw the professor at about 9am on 26.01.89.

Prof. Rajinderpaul Singh was taken to the “encounter” site along •Nith Devinderpaul Singh of Malikpur Garibdas, Rocar district, and Prabhiit Sinah of Chandigarh. All three of them were arrested from Chandigarh. They were shot dead in cold blood.

The police maintains that the encounter was genuine while the widow of the professor, Rajinder Kaur, in an affidavit filed in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Shri M.M. Aggarwal, affirmed that the police arrested him at Chandigarh at noon on 25.01.89.

Considering all these facts and circumstances the PHRO team is of ,r e opinion that Prof. Rajinderpaul Singh was killed in a fake encounter by the Ludhiana Police.

The Professor’s wife, had earlier on 27.08.88 in a telegram to the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court brought to the court’s attention that she was detained by the Focal Point Police, Ludhiana, and that the then S.P (Detective), Surjit Singh had threatened her that her husband would be eliminated in an “encounter”.

One reason given by Mrs Rajinder Kaur for the police annoyance was the fact that they arranged the marriage of the sister of Charanjit Singh Channi with Rajinder Kaur’s brother’s son. For this reason the police suspected that the couple harboured Charanjit Singh Channi. The police also suspects Channi’s hand in the attack on Akali leader Jagdev Singh Talwandi.

It has also come to the PHRO’s notice that an alternative took place between the professor and the S.S.P Ludhiana while the former was in police custody. There was no solid evidence to support this allegation.

The PHRO calls upon the Government to institute a judicial enquiry into Prof. Rajinderpaul Singh’s murder. It also appeals to international human rights organizations to press the demand. The PHRO strongly deplores the fact that Prof. Rajinderpaul Singh had been eliminated for his political views and alignments in the misplaced belief that such tactics could strengthen Akali Dal to restore normality in Punjab.