I, Jswant Singh (Son of Ranjit Singh) am a resident of Pipli (Gurusar Mchraj) village in Bathinda district of Punjab Amandeep Kaur who was killed police was my daughter. I am a retired Havaldar of the Indian Army. I fought the wars against and Pakistan in 1962, 1965 and 1971. I purchased a Maruti Van after obtaining loan and am using the vehicle for hire to sustain my family. In the first week of August 1991 my son Harpinder Singh Goldy a student of 10 + 2 class left my house with his certificates for Patiala to get admission to some college. Since then his whereabouts are unknown to us.
On September 16, 1991. I was carrying a tire off my van after having it repaired at Rampura Mandi when the Phul police caught hold of me and took me to the police station. Next day they took away my van from my house. They kept me in illegal custody for 12 days and interrogated me about my son. I was let off on the intervention of several village panchayats. My van was also restored to me.
On October 16, 1991 at about 6 am the police raided and searched my house but nothing incriminating was recovered. ASI Janak Raj advised me to leave the village as they had received orders “from the above” to take stern action against us I told him that I was proceeding to Phul to get my daughter Amandeep Kaurs marriage registered on the very day. We reached the court at about 9 am along with Lambardar Bhag Singh and ex-panch Malkiat Singh but our statements were recorded in the afternoon. When we came out of the court at about 4 pm we were intercepted by the Phul police. The Lambardar and the panch were made to leave. ASI Baldev Singh and two constables entered my van forcibly and instructed me to drive to the police station. No sooner had we reached the police Station SSP Bathinda (H S Kahlon) with a posse of force arrived. Prompuy they stripped my son-in-law and started using third degree methods upon him. He was a UK citizen and was living in Canada along with his parents. He had visited India after 15 years and having been born abroad he could not even speak Punjabi fluently He was tortured in the presence of the SSP. In fact at times Kahlon himself beat my son-in-law with long wooden sticks and abused him. Then it was my turn. Kahlon himself snatched off my turban and started beating me after stripping me naked. After that my daughter Amandeep Kaur was beaten in our presence. There was not a single member of the Women Police. The SSP got her tortured by ASI Baldev Singh there and then before the eyes of Jaswinder Singh (Amandeeps husband) and myself. After that the SSP ordered us to do front roll.
When Amandeep out of modesty refused to do so she was “slapped. Then the SSP ordered his “men to take us away and give “a ride on the airplane” (the police term for liquidating blindfolded and made site Jeep. A meeting was held inside the police station. After the meeting the SSP and his men left the place and the blindfolds were removed from our eyes. We were thrown in a lockup. Later certain Policemen disclosed to us that we were to be eliminated but for the Presence of the Lambardar and the panch and because of our having been present in the court just before being picked up.
The same evening at about 8 pm my wife was picked up by the Rampura police from our home. A few constables from Rampura police had accompanied the SSP to Phul and they had heard the SSPs order regarding our liquidation. So they informed my wife that we three had been eliminated. Evidently they were not aware of the rethinking by the SSP.
The next morning we (myself my daughter and son-in-law) were taken to Sardulgarh police station in our van. My wife was shifted to the CIA staff Bathinda from Rampura Phul. On the 27th she was brought to us in Sardulgarh police station while Jaswinder Singh was taken away from there on the 28th to the Phul police station. Later we learnt that Jaswinder was ordered on pain of death to leave India within 24 hours and he complied.
On November 4, 1991 we were transferred to Boha police station and on November 12 to the Bathinda CIA staff. My wife and daughter were set free. 1 along with some other persons was sent to Kot Fatta police station in the evening. I was brought back to the CIA staff on 26th and from there I was shifted to Mehraj police post on November 28 at 10 pm. There was one Kewal Singh already in police custody and we both were taken to Phul police station. All this shuffling from one police station to another was done evidently to evade detection of our illegal arrest should someone get a court intervention.
It was a Mehraj that I was shown arrested in a false case of harboring terrorists on November 29 A police remand till December 13 was obtained from the SDM without ever producing me before him. I was charged under TADA and sent to Sangrur jail When | was taken to Phul after the expiration of judicial remand I was told by certain friends that the police were after Amandeep Kaur and she a graduate had gone underground. She visited PHROs head office at Ludhiana and made a statement.
The police had ransacked Our house after we were taken into custody but they returned household articles on their own and assured our family that the police no longer was interested in harassing us. By returning our looted articles and giving aaurance to my family the police played a game. My wife and daughter Amandeep came over-ground and reached our home.
On Jan.21, 1992 at about 7:30 pm when my wife was feeding our cattle my daughter was alone in the verandah. Two unidentified persons entered the house by climbing the wall fired shots upon Amandeep and left the house by opening the main gate from inside. My wife saw them going out She could not identify them. Reaching the verandah she saw Amandeep fall on the floor and sat beside her but Amandeep had expired by then. Though my bail application was allowed on that day itself I was released from the jail after four days (Jan.24). As soon as | got out of the jail gate I was picked up by the Sangrur police which let me off the next day. I borrowed money and reached my village in the evening of Jan.25.
My van was rendered unpliable. Even the seats were torn. The engine had been damaged. It will cost Rs 25000/30000 to get the van repaired. The police intentionally damaged the van the only means of our livelihood.
Now I learn that my son Harpinder Singh Goldly sometime ago joined the Khalistan Commando Force (Panjwar) and that seems the reason why the police went so far for us. The police version that Amandeep was killed by some militants is totally false. Neither do we know any militants nor have we ever made any statement against them. The police have invented the story only to shield the culprits
Even after this harrowing phase we were in danger of being eliminated by the police. Certain Army Officers on duty visited us. They showed sympathy to an ex-serviceman. They advised me to keep my younger daughter (Kamaldeep Kaur 15 a college going girl) away as there was ¢very reason that she too would be harmed by the police.
If the police have not murdered Amandeep why are they harassing us even now. If we are not found at home our neighbors are threatened. They are asked to spy upon us otherwise their houses would be razed to the ground.
Is it not a fact that the police had looted all my house hold goods? Has not my van been damaged beyond repairs by the police? Have not the police tortured us by confining to police stations unlawfully? Has not the false case planted against me after keeping me in unlawful custody for more than one and a half months? The police are solely responsible for murdering my daughter. In the future also the police would be responsible for any mishap.
Thousands of other families are being harassed and tortured by the police in Punjab. Innumerable families have been shattered by the police. The “boys” have fled their homes because of the police atrocities and they have taken up arms because of the inhuman treatment meted out to them by the police.
Signed/
Jaswant Singh
Dated March 9 1992
Article extracted from this publication >> May 29, 1992
