I, Jagjit Singh Sandhu s/o S. Bachan Singh Sandhu,resident of Sandhu House, Gurdev Nagar, Ferozepur Road, Ludhiana, do hereby solemnly declare and affirm as under: –

  1. That I am a Sikh by faith and keep beard and long hair and wear iron bangle etc. My age is fifty years. I own an agricultural farm at Village Manuke about 50 Kms from Ludhiana. This farm is owned by our family since 1941.
  2. That Sukhminder Singh Sandhu who is facing extradition proceeding in U.S.A. is my son
  3. That on July 9, 1985, Sukhminder left home telling that he was going to our village. On July 10, 1985 at about 12.15 a.m. 25 or 30 Punjab Police personnel armed with Rifles, Stenguns and Revolvers surrounded my house. About 15 of them jumped over the boundary wall and knocked at the inner door. At that time I along with my wife, daughter, younger son and tather were in the house. Police searched the house for 15-20 minutes. They asked us about the whereabouts of Sukhminder. They spoke very rudely to all of us including my wife and daughter. After the search was over they took me along with them in a police van to Police Station, Jagraon, about 30 Km. from Ludhiana. After staying for a few minutes at that place they took me to our farm house and searched it and the surrounding area for half an hour.
  4. The manager was at the farm house. The Police party took us into custody and took both of us to the residence of my tractor driver Mr. Kartar Singh. The Police searched his house and also picked him up.
  5. That after this, three of us were brought to C.I.A. Staff (Crime Investigation Agency) Police post Ludhiana at about 4 a.m. At about 5 p.m. Kartar Singh and I were taken to Jagraon Police Station and were locked in a room. After sometime they took Mr. Kartar Singh away. He came back after about half an hour and he could not walk properly.
  6. That after this, they took me to another room. In that room there were 5-6 Police constables and one Assistant Sub Inspector. He slapped me on my face and asked me “Where is Sukhminder”? Alongwith the slapping, he also pulled out hair from my head and the beard. Then they told me to remove my clothes and make me sit on the ground. The constables pulled my legs apart and the Assistant-Sub-Inspector kept asking me questions. This lasted tor about half an hour
  7. That Kartar Singh and I were released at 8 p.m. on July 11, 1985. During this period we slept on the floor on the Police Station and were given food only once during these two days.
  8. That no F.I.R. (First information report) was filed against me nor was I produced before any Magistrate.

 

  1. That I could not walk properly for about one month after that torture. 10. That again on July 14, 1985, one Deputy Superintendent of Police alongwith 5-6 constables came to my residence at about 10 a.m The constables had rifles and stenguns with them. They took me to my farm. Another police party was already at the farm. They searched the area and questioned the workers about Sukhminder., They kept me in the police van throughout the day while they made wound here and there. They took me to Ludhiana at night and released me. This time also no F.I.R. was lodged nor was I produced before any Magistrate.
  2. That on July 16, 1985 a Police constable came to my house and told me to come to the CIA Staff Police Station the next day. On July 17, 1965 I went to the Police Station in my car. The Inspector of Police sent one Head Constable and a Constable with me in my car to Amritsar, about 3% hours’ drive from Ludhiana. They forced me to walk to the Golden Temple premises. They said that they hoped that Sukhminder might be there and on seeing me, he will come to me and the police could arrest him. From there they made me to drive to Gurdwara Tarn Taran, about 30 Km. from Amritsar. The same process was gone through that place also. After that we came to Ludhiana in the evening and they released me.
  3. That in mid June 1986, 5-6 Police officials came to my house at about 4 p.m. and took me to the C.I.A. Staff Police post. They physically tortured me and questioned me about Sukhminder. At about 6 p-m they brought my younger son Harmanmeet Singh, aged about 11, years to the U.1.A. Staff Police post. While I was watching they slapped him 3 or 4 times, and questioned him about Sukhminder, while he was crying. Later they took him to another room and were released at about 6 p.m. I was released at about 10 p.m. Harmanmeet later told me that the policemen had taken him to a dark room and threatened him that he would be forced to sit on a beehive. After this incident Harmanmeet was so fearful to staying at home and was always in mental tension that I had to send him to Chandigarh to continue his studies.

(Annexure A is the statement of Harmanmeet Singh).

  1. That on December 3, 1986, 5 or 6 Punjab Police officials came to my house at about 12 noon and arrested me. F.1I.R. was lodged against me under Section 107/151 Cr. p.c. «Breach of peace) I was produced before a Magistrate on the same date and remanded to Judicially Custody. I was released on December 18, 1986. During this period there was no trial Moreover I was never informed as to what I was supposed to have done.
  2. That since July 1985 until Sukhminder’s arrest in the United States of America the police has searched our house more than a dozen time. About 25-30 Policemen came to the house at night. Most of them keep circling the house while 5-6 of them enter the house and search every room to the house. They even threaten my wife and daughter with arrest. They have never found anything during these searches

Ludhiana

January 12, 1988.