Punjab Human Rights Organization received alarming reports of renewed police repression in Bathinda district of Punjab on the heels of the transfer of Sumedh Singh Saini as new Senior Superintendent of police. The PHRO deputed its organizing secretary, Dr. Rajinder Pal Singh and Secretary, Public Relations, Mohinder Singh Grewal, advocate, to visit the district and investigate the complaints against the police.
The PHRO team spent four days ending February 24, 1990 in the district, visited Bathinda city, Rampura Phool, Mansa, Budhlada, Bhucho Mandi, Goniana Mandi, Sangat and Talwandi Sabo. They met a cross section of public men including journalist Hukam Chand Sharma, Janata Dal leader Darshan Singh Jeeda, Jathedar Toga Singh, advocate Balwant Singh Dhillon, advocate Gurjant Singh, Katar Singh Jeeda, advocate Khushwant Singh, Balbir Singh, Jathedar Lakha Singh, among others. The members of the team also interviewed a few representatives of Bar Association, journalists, leaders of political parties and police officials.
The PHRO team came across the following specific cases of harassment, torture and witchunt systematically mounted by the district police.
- Darshan Singh Bhundi, a clean shaven former Naxalite, was arrested by the Sangat police on February 20. Head constable Nazar Singh himself admitted that he had beaten up Bhundi with a leather belt. ‘On instructions from above’ according to Advocate Dhillon who represented Bhundi. The head constable was not aware of any case against Bhundi. He was later released. Similarly Raj Kumar and Hartej Mehta were also kept in the same police station along with 50 others such as Makhan Singh and Narinder Singh of village Gehri Bhagi.
- At Nehianwala police station one Gamdoor Singh was tortured for nine days on no apparent excuse. He was later set free. Gamdoor Singh told PHRO. Activists that 15 other Sikh youths were still in police custody and were being tortured. The police authorities, however, would not allow the team to go near the police station to meet the arrested youths.
- Karnial Singh, Swaran Singh alias Nidi and Gurnam Singh of Rama Mandi stated that they spent nine harrowing days in the custody of Rama Mandi police. There was no apparent case against them, apart from a few cases in which they had been bailed out by the courts and were facing prosecution proceedings. They came to Bathinda in connection with these cases. They showed torture marks on their bodies in full view of a large number of advocates. The torture left them limping.
Court official recovers a youth
- Karamjit Singh, son of late Sucha Singh of Yogi Basti, Bathinda who was a former Sikh Students Federation activist, had no case pending against him and was provided with a job in Thermal Plant, Bathinda by the authorities. He was taken in custody by the Kotwali police Bathinda City. Journalist Hukam Chand Sharma and advocate Jugroop Singh, both local Municipal Commissioners, intervened and got Karamjit Singh freed from police clutches. They quoted SP (Detective) Gill telling them that Karamjit Singh was kept in illegal custody for three days although there was no case against him. Sharma told the PHRO team that half a dozen young men of the city were still in the custody of Kotwali Bathinda city.
- Bua Singh, an employee of Thermal Plant, Bathinda is in illegal custody of the Bathinda city Kotwali police. No one knows for certain on which ground he is being physically tortured.
- Jasbir Singh, 18, son of widowed teacher Shamsher Kaur, was recovered by the Warrant Officer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh from CIA Staff, Rampura Phul, on February 15. The boy was taken in custody by Inspector Balbir Singh, Incharge, CIA, Rampura Phul, on February 6 at 8 am from Bhikhi. Immediately after Jasbir’s recovery by the Warrant Officer, a case was registered against him. The Inspector told certain go between that the police would have freed the boy but for the High Court intervention.
7, Gurdarshan Singh, an M. Phil student at Punjabi University, Patiala was taken in illegal custody by the Ludhiana police on Saini’s instructions a few months ago. There was no case against him. He was tortured at Ludhiana by Saini himself, Saini took sadistic pleasure in personally torturing the young men. He calls it the operation clean up. After his transfer to Bathinda Saini ‘once again instructed Rampura Phul area police to detain Gur Darshan Singh again. The police party reached his house and took in custody his two brothers, mother and father. On the intervention of village Panchayat, his mother was released but the other three male members were taken along by the police party. Gurdarshan’s father Bant Singh was released on the occasion that son would be brought to the police station. His other two brothers are still in illegal police custody. We are convinced that no case is pending against Gurdarshan Singh. But the police officer is after sadistic pleasure. At present Gurdarshan is away from his home. Similarly Jasbir Singh of Bhagi Bander has been compelled to go underground. His brother is in police custody in lieu of him. In yet another case Subeg Singh of village Jodhpur Ramana has also gone undergone fearing police torture. Makhan Singh of Lehra buga, Jasbir Singh of Khara and Gurinder Singh Rana of Mansa have gone underground after the arrival of Saini in Bathinda District.
Police in search of journalist
- On instructions by Senior Superintendent of police, the SHO of Bathinda Kotwali, Harbhajan Singh, raided the farm house of journalist Dalbir Singh at Bhannapind in Jalandhar district. Dalbir Singh was not present in the house at that time. The SHO left word with the family that an old case against Dalbir Singh was pending and that he should surrender to the police. The SHO also informed the family that the case was coming up on February 19. Thereafter Dalbir Singh went to Bathinda to ascertain the position. He discovered that there was no such case pending against him. The case was withdrawn by the State government four years ago. It was actually a ruse played on Dalbir Singh so that he could be arrested and was made to pass through Saini’s operation clean up. It may be recalled that Dalbir Singh was senior correspondent of The Tribune till 1984 and was posted at Bathinda. A few criminal cases were trumped up against him as well as against Roshan Singh Soch, another journalist of Bathinda.
A smell of Gobind Ram’s Batala
All the cases cited above are but a small specimen of a reign of terror unleashed by Saini in the district. The PHRO team smelt of Gobind Ram’s Batala in Bathinda. As a result our view is that Sikh unrest is spreading to the Malwa area after Majha and Doaba came under its impact in the past decade.
It is curious that Saini’s ill-advised strategy should have been allowed to be practiced by the State government even when Governor Mukerji is not tired of talking of applying balm to the Sikh wounds. The PHRO sent telegrams to Mukerji as well as the Union Home Minister requesting them to pay attention to Saini’s ways in Bathinda district and cry a halt to the police terror. It is regretted that neither Mukerji nor M.M Sayed paid heed to our requests. On the other hand, they allowed the police campaign to be intensified making Saini and his collaborators still more arrogant in their behavior towards the youths as well as village Panchayats, advocates and pressmen.
Several members of the Bathinda Bar Association wanted to meet Saini on February 15 to draw his attention to ill treatment of Sikh youths by the police. But Saini contemptuously declined an interview.
On February 19, Saini consented to meet a deputation of the Mann Akali Dal led by advocate Ajit Singh Bhango but the interview disappointed the Dal deputations because Saini told them in no uncertain terms that they should better keep off his actions.
Journalist Hukam Chand Sharma and others have been warned by Saini though Public Relations Officers not to send their principals any version of militants. Otherwise, they had been warned of serious consequences. The journalists find it difficult to oblige the police chief because militants, too, press them not to black out their views.
Conclusions
PHRO feels that the current tactics to suppress the so called terrorism in Bathinda district unleashed by the government of India would have the effect of further alienating the public from Delhi. We cannot subscribe to the view that Saini alone is behind what is being done in the district. The Bathinda strategy appears to have been devised in Delhi by government of India’s secret agencies in the same manner as Gobind Ram’s ill-fated policy for Batala was outlined for him by these agencies. It appears to be a pilot project aimed at teaching the Malwa Sikhs a lesson after the police gave similar lessons in the Majha and Doaba areas of Punjab.
PHRO appeals to human rights organizations all over the world to take note of the happenings in Bathinda district as human rights abuses of the magnitude the outgoing Congress (I) regime became notorious for. They are requested to put pressure on the VP Singh Government to abandon the old repressive policy, democratize the polity in Punjab, and hold talks for genuine structural reforms to bring peace to the troubled state.
Punjab Human Rights Organization (REGD) HO. 27D Sarabha Nagar LUDHIANA 141 001
Article extracted from this publication >> April 27, 1990
