LUDHIANA: The Punjab Human Rights Organization said that there did occur genuine militant-police encounters in Punjab but, in most cases the casualties suffered were by both the parties. The Rataul encounter, the organization added, was an eye-opener. In all other Cases, it asserted, the deaths were either in police custody or in staged encounters.
The PHRO chairman, Mr. D.S. Gill, in a statement here cited another case of real encounter in which a few Sikh militants fought nearly 300 police and CRPF personnel before being killed near Hans Kalan village in Jagraon subdivision of Ludhiana district on May 17.
This was investigated by Mr Gurbhajan Singh Gill, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Somal and Mr Harchand Singh Gill who visited the spot, recorded the statements of the eye-witnesses and collected FIR to know police version of the incident.
While the casualties from the police side remained a mystery, the six killed in the side of militants were identified as Darshprit Singh Roomi, Sukhwinder Singh Kalajhande, Hardip Singh Rimpy, Rupinder Singh Khalsa and Mohan Singh alias Thakur of the Khalistan Liberation Force, and Khush Karanjot Singh alias Honey (a police “cat” according to KLF).
At least half-a-dozen security men died and over a dozen injured, said Mr Gill quoting an eye-witness and a KLF claim as reported in a section of the Press, D.S.P. Harek Singh, in his FIR, disclosed that only a constable Sheikh Usman was killed and none injured.
The P.H.R.O, disbelieved the police version on the casualties as the encounter raged for three hours and AK-47s, SLRs and stick bombs were used by the militants. The police “cat” Honey was killed by the militant’s bullets, according to a witness.
According to the PHRO investigation, the security forces also used bullet proof cars, hand grenades and two inch mortars besides SLRs to silence the militant’s assault. The security forces were led by S.P. (Operations), Mukhtiar Chand.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 5, 1991
