ROPAR: For over three years he languished in the jail us the killer of local advocate, Kulwant Singh, his wife and two year old son, till the Supreme Court came to his rescue and ordered his release last week, besides paying him a compensation of Rs 2 lakh.
This is the grim story of Harpreet Singh alias Lucky, 23, of Bhadarpura Village, 5 km from here, who returned home last week, He returned home to u resounding welcome, after the TADA designated court released him from the high security jail at Nabha, After receiving a fax message from the Apex Court registry, The village panchayat and the relatives rejoiced and distributed “ladoos” as Lucky narrated his tryst with the policemen, who now face action instead.
In January 1993, the Ropar police ‘Was in hot water as the Punjab and Haryana Bar Association had gnomon an indefinite strike, “demanding 90tion against its alleged involvement in the “kidnapping and killing” of Kulwant Singh and his family, The advocate, the police claimed, had been hobnobbing with militants and was acting as a conduit for arms.
On the morning of January 25, 1993, the local police raided the shop of his father where Lucky used to lend a helping hand, “l escaped to a relative’s: place in Chanalo near Kurali,” Locky told a reporter last week.
Later it was Iearnt that the police suspected that he had militant connector’s, since one of his classmates in the ITI, Kuldip Singh of Lodhi Majra Village, was in police custody. “Fearing the police, | moved to another relative’s place in Kharar next day Only to I earn that my parents had been picked up,” he said. Lucky was advised by the well-wishers to escape, if it was possible, otherwise its police might register yet arts other ‘encounter.’ Not knowing what to do, he went 0 Delhi and spent a week at the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara mulling over the issue, He then approached a relative in Rajpura who had good relations with the police. He, in tum, advised him to appear before the police.
On his return, Lucky was handed over to the Mohall police, from where he was brought to the CIA staff headquarters here, “For three days, hell broke on me, | was stripped, hung. Upside down o mango tree, whipped. Petrol was pat on my private parts…” Lucky says breaking down, Often cyanide powder was shown to him; with a threat chat if necessary it would be used.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 22, 1996
