CHANDIGARH: Punjab Human Rights Organization (PHRO) Chief Justice Ajit Singh Bains has alleged that Punjab Police had killed a 22yearold youth, Manjinder Singh, in custody and had falsely reported the incident as an encounter.
After investigating the case, the PHRO concluded that the youth, a resident of Ludhiana district, was innocent and no case was pending against him. A high-level inquiry has been demanded into the incident along with suitable compensation to the victim’s family.
Though Manjinder was picked up from his house in full view of the villagers, the police have claimed that the youth died in an encounter on the night of July 15 four days after he was taken into Custody. The PHRO report said nearly 200 villagers from Leland Megh corroborate the view that the youth was innocent and that the police version of the encounter was false.
A graduate, Manjinder was engaged in farming since his brother joined the Army. On the fateful night of July 12, a police party raided his house. Justice Bains said Manjinder was forcibly taken away without being shown any arrest warrants. Manjinder father, Bean Singh immediately informed the village sarpanch, Kehar Singh, about the incident.
On July 15, the hapless villagers met Ludhiana range DIG Chander Shekhar and submitted an application regarding the arrest and continuing detention of Manjinder. This application was diaried vide diary no 1562B/of at the DIG office. They spent the next three days trying to vain to trace Manjinder whereabouts.
On July 19, the SSP informed them that they were too late, without calaborating, he asked Bean Singh to come later for details.
Next day, Beant Singh met SSP Chahal along with Youth Akali Dal President Amrik Singh Aiwa. It was then that he was told that his son had been killed in an encounter near Lakha village on July 15. An FIR dated July 15 and purported to be recorded at 9:50 p.m. was shown to be dazed father. It said that an unidentified person died in the encounter with the Jagraon police.
Meanwhile, sarpanch Kehar Singh and other villagers have signed a joint statement giving their version of the arrest and killing of Manjinder Pal Singh. Translated it reads: “We the residents of village Leland state that Manjinder Singh, son of Beant Singh resident of Nelson The village in Jargon, was abducted by the police on the night of July 12at 11:00 p.m. from his house in the presence of his parents. He was kept in confinement for three days and then killed. The killing has been falsely shown as an encounter.”
Article extracted from this publication >> August 20, 1993
