AMRITSAR, Punjab, India: “The police version that Gurmej Singh Sandhu, a medical student, was not dead but was arrested while crossing over to Pakistan on November 23 is not being accepted as correct. The parents of the student contested the police version, and students of the local medical college went on an indefinite strike, demanding an immediate release of Gurmej Singh, They have threatened to start a statewide strike if the student was not released by December 5. The principal of the medical college, Dr. Satpal Kaur, has written to the district administration seeking release of Gurmej Singh. His parents outrights rejected the police story. Jarnail Singh, the elder brother of Gurmej} Singh,
Alleged that police version was concocted in an attempt to implicate his brother. Gurmej had told his brother that he had not escaped from police custody. In fact, Gurmej was never admitted to the Rajindera Hospital from where he ‘was shown to have escaped. Meanwhile, the other brother of Gurmej} has said he had met his detained brother on October 27 and found him physically fit. He was to be produced in a court on October 28 and his release was certain as the police had not been able to frame any specific charges against him. Moreover, the principal and the teachers at the college had represented to district authorities and pleaded for the release of the student as he had nothing to do with any illegal activities but the police did not want to release him $0 as to book under some other false charges. Later he was shown crossing the border and was booked under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act and the Foreigner’s Act. The two brothers strongly refuted the police story, the parents of Gurmej Singh had organized a fake bhog to mislead the police. They said even after rearrests of Gurmej Singh his parents were not informed about his whereabouts. It was a lawyer who identified Gurmej Singh and formed his parents. Gurmej Singh was produced in the court of Mr. SS, Aurora, and was granted judicial remand up to December 9.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 4, 1987
