NEW DELHI: In a scathing indictment of the Punjab Police brutalities, the Supreme Court on April 17 ordered the suspension from service and prosecution of five officers for shooting down a suspected militant couple at their Picnic Garden Nat in Calcutta on May 17 last year and later disposing of their bodies without the knowledge of the West Bengal police.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice A.M. Ahmedi, Justice K.S. Paripoornan and Justice K. Venkataswami, directed the prosecution of the five Punjab policemen after a Central Bureau of Investigation probe ordered by the apex court held them prima facie guilty of criminal conspiracy to liquidate the couple, abduction, murder and destruction of evidence
The policemen named by the CIP report and ordered to be prosecuted by the court are S.K. Singh, the then Superintendent of police Bhatinda Sukhdev Singh Chail, deputy superintendent of police, head constable Ram Dayal, now an assistant sub inspector of police, Sukhjeevan Singh, a head constable, and Darshan Singh a constable, now a head constable.
Starting that their worst apprehensions” about the Punjab Police had “come true, “the judges said the killing of the couple in cold blood by men in uniform revealed a state of affairs where human rights had virtually no value for the police who were expected to function as protectors.
Expressing their great distress” at the manner in which the incident took place and the “callousness” at which the report of the West Bengal Chief Secretary complaining about the incite then chand Bengur
dent to his Punjab counterpart been dealt with the judges said eve more distressing was the at davit the then Punjab State undersecretary Kamail Chand Banga who state affidavit that the Sangrur Police had no knowledge of the antecedents and whereabouts of the couple.
He had denied further that any official of the Punjab Police was involved in the murder and felt there was nothing objectionable in the attitude of the police to warrant an Inquiry.
“Obviously, these statements by the under secretary had been made without holding any probe whatsoever and with a view to cover up the incident,” the judges said and asked whether the apex court should countenance such an attempt by a responsible officer of the home department of the State of Punjab.
The judges said they did not think it proper to ignore such a lapse part of a senior Government of it would amount 10 Mercer with the administration of justice “We therefore, direct Kamnail Chand Banga to personally, no matter in capacity how is serving today, show cause why appropriate action be not taken for his averments in the affidavit which prima facie was entirely inconsistent with the CBI report,” the judges said.
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