AMRITSAR: As many as 30 persons picked up from Amritsar by various police party’s from other districts are “untraceable,” reportedly causing problems and worry for the Amritsar district police.
The district police chief, Hardip Singh Dhillon, recently issued instructions to station house officers (SHOs) to register cases of “abduction” against the police Parties in case a person is picked up from Amritsar district without informing them.
As a first measure two ‘nakkas,’ have been activated to check all police parties coming and going from this district.
Police sources said that these measures were introduced because the Amritsar district police had to face the wrath of their seniors or the ministers upon failing to produce the persons in the wake of inquiries marked by the Chief Minister, Beant Singh, the deputation led by Congress (I) leaders or of residents who approach the Chief Minister for producing their family members.
Many a time it so happened that the police parties from Ludhiana,
Kapurthala or from Malwa region “picked up” the person on the pretext of reported association with militants,
Moreover, these police parties in vehicles without number plates present themselves as representing one of the police stations from the this district. The police picked up Rajesh Saini from Amritsar but he was located after 15 days from Ludhiana and that too at the intervention of the state police officials.
In yet another case, one Navdeep Singh was picked up from Ajnala bus terminal from here five days ago when he was going back after getting admission forms from the Government College Amritsar. He is still untraceable.
In October last year, a police party from Jagraon picked up seven members of a family from Amritsar. But till date, their whereabouts are not known. However, the Amritsar police is being blamed for this. The concerned police officer is preparing to leave the country. The Amritsar police have moved against the police officer holding him from going abroad without disclosing the whereabouts of the seven persons.
in another case, the Bhikhiwind police detained two persons, Balkar Singh or Bhoujian and Rana Singh Doburji, while they were about to leave for Hemkund Sahib along with a group of 15 persons from the Amritsar railway station.
The Bhikhiwind police official was identified by a government railway police official who recognized him at the time of a raid on the railway station, The whereabouts of these two persons are not known.
Manjit Singh Sansra (35) and three young boys and one girl were picked up by a police party from Sansra village. However, their whereabouts were not shown, The SSP, Majitha police district, Pramjit Singh Gill, ordered registration of a case of alleged kidnapping to the relatives.
The Sultanwind Shopkeepers Association president, Manjit Singh, and its vice president, Jagbir Singh, were arrested two weeks ago by a police party. The shopkeepers met the Chief Minister for their release but Amritsar police could not ace them. The two were taken away by a police party on the pretext that one of the militant’s shirt carried the tag of the tailor master of the Sultanwind market.
The militant also said that he had purchased the cloth piece from the Bhikhiwind shopkeeper on credit .
Article extracted from this publication >> Aug 14, 1992
