ROPAR: On Sept.1, two US diplomats Jack Robinson and Gaffarey, Second Secretaries for Economic and Political Affairs respectively, in the US Embassy visited the town Tuesday to in Quire into the circumstances leading to the death of an advocate, Kulwant Singh, in February last.
Amidst allegations of police involvement in the “murder” of the Advocate, the US Congress is reported to have directed the embassy officials to send a “factual” Report after meeting members of the family of the late advocate and the local Bar Association.
The diplomats held discussions with the father of Kulwant Singh besides relatives at the local Pinkcassia tourist hotel. Later they held a meeting with members of the Bar Association. Justice A.S.Bains, Col Partap Singh, Inderjeet Singh Jaijee and Ranjan Lakhanpal, belonging to the Punjab Human Rights Organization, accompanied the diplomats.
Bar members reportedly said “the police are the real culprit in the murder” of the advocate.
Advocates throughout the state along with their counterparts in Haryana and Chandigarh had gone on a strike, which ultimately fizzled out.
Bar association members led by former president K.P.Bana, owing allegiance to the Congress, alodged a protest against alleged US interference and boycotted the meeting.
The diplomats later went to meet the SSP Sanjeev Gupta, who was, however, not available. They proceeded to Amritsar in the afternoon.
Talking to this reporter, Justice Bains and the US Congress had initiated an inquiry into the “murder” of the advocate on an appeal made by the Human Rights Organization based in Washington.
It could not, however, be ascertained whether the US team had permission to hold an inquiry into the case. Senior officials at the district headquarters feigned ignorance about the visit of the diplomats.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 10, 1993
