JAIPUR: The lone surviving killer of the former chief minister of Punjab, Pratap Singh Kairon, has given the slip to the jail authorities in Rajasthan but after couple days he surrendered to Rajasthan police, Hectic efforts were made to track him, The assailant, Daya Singh, who was serving life term in Ambala jail was brought to Hanumangarh in Ganganagar district in February in connection with an old case pending in the Sangria Munsif’s court. Understandingly, the escape of Daya Singh is causing much consternation in both the Haryana and Rajasthan government circles, because of the political implications of the case. The Haryana Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal, had a detailed talk with the Rajasthan Chief Minister, Bhaironsingh Shekawast. Apart from expressing concern over the escape of Daya Singh he is understood have enquired the exact circumstances which enabled him to do the disappearing act,According to the Director-General of Rajasthan Police, Rajendra Shekhar, the assailant of Kairon was wanted by the Sangaria police in connection with a case registered in 1964 under section 353 of the IPC (resistance to government servant) and was brought in February by the state police from Ambala and kept in the Hanumangarh jail here for a month, This was a Sequel to a “production warrant” issued by the Sangaria court.
After two hearings in March, the Sangaria Munsifcourt ordered the release of Daya Singh on a bail of Rs 5,000,
The Rajasthan government is conducting a thorough inquiry into the case even though the information so far available does not indicate that Daya Singh might have made any Attempt to escape, for even after his release on a bail, he was seen fo rmore thana week in Hanumangarh and he visited all his relatives in the area (Daya Singh hails from Rajasthan), There is also a view that since his light sentence was revealing its end in a few months, he would not have tried to escape.
The Chief Minister, Shekhawal, said the Director-General ‘of Rajasthan jails, R.Baizal, was sent to Hanumangarh to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and also to fix the blame for Singh’s disappearance Daya.
The Sriganganagar superident of police is reported to have assured Shekhawat, on telephone, that he would nab Daya Singh. Daya Singh is also reported to some kind of a mental case, for he was nabbed by the Police only because of his continuous and indiscreet boasts about having killed kairon it Was his arrest which led to the nabbing of other assailants who Were subsequently hanged.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 12, 1992
