NEW DELHI: The Committee for information and initiative on Punjab has demanded the resignation on moral grounds of Inspector General of Police, K.P.S. Gill for the terror unleashed in Batala by Senior Superintendent of Police Gobind Ram. It called for the suspension of the officer pending enquiry into last month’s incident where he reportedly indulged in public meeting and abuse of over five hundred sarpanches and panches. The committee released two reports to highlight the nature and the magnitude of terror unleashed by the police on the people. The main report is the result of 4 years study of the Punjab problem document in one of the cases which investigated and described tactics used by the police in the name of tackling problems in the state.
The second report deals with the barbarous crimes committed by S.S.P Batala against Sikh youths and elected representatives of village panchayats. It may be recalled that Gobind Ram had earlier been transferred to an unimportant position, because of some allegations of atrocities committed by him, against Sikhs when he was posted as S.S.P FaridKot.
The committee demanded an enquiry by the Judge of the High Court. The Committee further demanded main perpetrators of crime against innocent persons in Punjab. The Government has asked the DIG Jalandhar range to enquire into the judge to assess the role of the officer and the extent to which Director General Police and the whole department of the state government were aware. It also sought clarification from the government if the government has the policy of posting the officers like Gobind Ram and whether its method as aid for preserving the unity and integrity of India.
The photo copies of the two letters, one to Khushwant Singh from the state Governor’s adviser J.F. Rebeiro and the other from Lt. General J.S. Arora, a Member of Parliament to the Prime Minister of India were also released. A state which is expending its resources in persecuting the innocents, is incapable of the discipline efforts required to deal with the others indulging with equally reprehensive crime,” the 61 page report says.
Among other cases investigated and documented are those of Bhupinder Singh, a class 10th Student who was killed in an encounter in May 1987. A 16 year old Gurbux Singh who was shot dead by the police in another encounter and that of his sister Balbir Kaur, who died because of torture inflicted on her during her illegal detention in December 1987. The team also came across some cases of the extermination of innocent persons in lockups and police explained away as fake encounters to the parties concerned. There are cases when some human beings are arrested for investigation and tortured only to be later shown as committed suicide or killed in encounters. The team also stated that modus operand of the police was to move around in unnumbered vehicles and in plain clothes would pick up anyone in the countryside and torture him to death.
‘The report stated that the committee intends to take such cases in the Supreme Court, once these cases are established. Our main aim is to draw the attention of the public towards the repression of the police against the Sikhs in the state, said Nitya Ram Krishan of the committee. The committee would like the other organizations to visit the state to see the popular belief of the people of the Punjab that they were being per versified from the rest of the country is rectified.
It is the present Advisor to Governor of Punjab, J.F. Rebeiro who initiated the policy of “Bullet For Bullets” and carried it on for some time, before realizing that it was counterproductive. But the Bombay super cop now feels that the police must carry the people with them along to tackle the present problem in Punjab and to commit atrocities.
Rebeiro now talks of Chaman Lal policy initiated by Madhya Pradesh officer who chose to quit than letting loose the repression on innocent citizens. He was for firm handling of militants tactful handling of those considered harbourers. He maintained clear distinction between active and passive harbourers. Several police officers have written to the government pointing out that police brutality was proving counterproductive. The same view was aired by Rebeiro publicly at Ludhiana. Although he is the Governor’s only advisor on security affairs there appears to be no taker for his advice.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 3, 1989
