CHANDIGARH; There is no end to violation of human right of Sikhs by Indi Security forces. The latest instance pertains to the killing of a milkman and the injures Caused to his brother at Ludhiana.
Residents of house number HJ-98 in the Housing Board Colony at the Ludhiana Ferozepore road. Chamkaur Singh along with his brother Sher Singh were riding a Motor cycle and were proceeding towards Birmes, Phagil and Somiant villages to Collect milk in the early hours. They were suddenly fired upon by a security force Picket near Sidhwan canal on October 29 Chamkaur Singh who was driving the motor cycle was killed on the spot while his brother sustained injuries and is at Present undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit of Dayan and Medical college and hospital, Ludhiana.
According to Chamkaur Singh’s widow, Jaswinder Kaur, the police did not give any signal to stop her husband and her brother in law. Sher Singh was immediately taken to the hospital where the can teen contractor recognized him and formed his family members about the death of his brother.
Meanwhile, the police announced to the public and the world media that an unidentified militant had been killed and another had been injured in an “encounter.”
Jaswinder Kaur stated that her husband’s motorcycle had two big milk containers and two small ones tied to it which was proof enough of the profession on her husband. The police fired indiscriminately with the result that the motor cycle was badly damaged. The members of the family recovered the dead body from the hospital from the police which forced the members to cremate it before all the relations of the deceased could reach for the last rites. Jaswinder Kaur said that her relations met the Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana, S.S.Channy, and brought the murder of Chamkaur Singh to his notice. Evidently the Deputy Commissioner gave no relief to the family nor ordered an enquiry into the incident.
Justice H.K.Sandhu of Punjab and Haryana High Court issued show cause notice to Baldev Singh Butta, Superinten dent of Police, Sangrur district, for filing a false affidavit in the high court.
Navkiran Singh appearing for Labh Kaur, mother of Sikh youth Harjinder Singh Mitha, submitted that the petitioner’s son was picked up by the Bhawanigash police on August 18, 1991. Next day a human rights activist, Malwinder Singh Mali sent telegram to the Punjab high court com plaining against the illegal arrest and asked for action.
As pressure mounted on the police from the Deputy Commissioner, political leaders and human rights activists, it registered a case against Harjinder Singh and produced him before a magistrate. The police, however, obtained remand for the accused Sikh youth.
The deceased was later shown by the Police as having “escaped” from its custody while he was being taken to a place for recovery of arms. That actually, it was alleged the Moonak police killed the son of the petitioner in a fake encounter. The mother preceded the high court’s file an affidavit of a Press reporter of the area who stated on oath that he saw the youth in the custody of the Moonak police on September 6. The reporter also indemnified the dead body of the Sikh youth. It was pleaded before the high court that the youth was in the custody of the Bhiwanigarh police until his death in the alleged encounter.
The high court heard the complaint earlier eating the complaint of the human rights activist as a writ petition. It received an affidavit from the Sangrur S.P. affirming that the Sikh youth was never in the custody of the Bhiwanigar h police and that he was not wanted in connection with any case.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 8, 1991
