The death of 15 year old Bhupinder Singh Sarang, son of Ujagar Singh Sarang, from Mohalla Sarang Pura, district Faridkot in an armed encounter on the night of 24 May 1987; on the outskirts of the village of Middu Kheda near the town of Malout.

A First Information Report (FIR) No. 113 Daily Diary Report No. 30 24 May 1987) was filed for record at Lambi police station. The report bearing the signature of Mr. Joginder Singh the Station House Officer, made the following summarized claim of an encounter with armed terrorists in the course of which Bhupinder was killed.

The Station House Officer (SHO) Mr. Joginder Singh, along with his Assistant Subinspector (ASI) Mr. Jagir Singh and ten other policemen were positioned on the road across from the village Middu Kheda in a jeep (numberplate HYN 5967) and a motorcycle (number plate PBC 4802). At about 1 A.M., a fiat car without a number plate came from the direction of Abhohar as mall town on the border with Pakistan. The SHO waved the car to a halt but the driver on noticing the police patrol immediately began to reverse. The SHO and his men lunged forward to try and stop the car. Three young men got out of the car and began to fire at the patrol, who on returning firing in self-defense killed one of the boys. The other two managed to run ‘away under the cover of darkness. A point 38 caliber revolver was lying by the side of the dead man.

On investigation this story has proved to be fictious.

“Uday Karan, who had witnessed the severe torture of Bhupinder Singh the previous night and who told Sidhu that the Senior Superindent of Police, Mr. Govind Ram had himself shot Gurinder in the leg.”

Bhupinder Singh Sarang was a student of class ten at Khalsa Higher Secondary School in Muktsar. On the evening of 20 May 1987 he returned home at about 4 pm after a game of football. While he was changing his clothes there was a knock at the door. His mother, Mrs, Amarjeet Kaur, opened the door to find policemen in uniform demanding to see her son. They handcuffed and took away Bhupinder Singh promising his hysterical mother that he would come back safely after some time. However, he did not return that night.

The next evening his father went to see Avtar Singh Sidhu, a leader of the Youth Akali Dal at his house in Muktsar and told him about the illegal arrest of his son. Avtar Singh Sidhu went to Sadar police station in Muktsar on the following morning, 22 May. There was no senior office present, but after some pressure from Sidhu, a Head Constable took him to the cell in which Bhupinder Singh was locked up. Bhupinder Singh who had blood stains on his face and legs, was moaning with pain. He did not recognize Sidhu. The cell contained other prisoners including Gurinder Singh (alias Binder), son of a wealthy farmer living in the village of Uday Karan, who had witnessed the severe torture of Bhupinder Singh the previous night, and who told Sidhu that the Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr. Govind Ram had himself shot Gurinder in the leg.

Later the same day, Avtar Singh Sidhu and Bhai Shaminder Singh a Member of Parliament (MP) tried to contact the senior officials of the district to request them to have Bhupinder either immediately released or produced before a magistrate on a specific charge. They were unable however to make contact with any senior official.

“Bhupinder Singh was removed from his cellinacoma. He was taken away by a team of policemen including the DSP Mr. Tand and Inspector of Police Mr. Bajwa.”

Bhupinder’s interrogation under torture continued for the next two days. On the night of 24 May under the personal supervision of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr. Rajinder Pal Singh (as witnessed by Gurinder Singh) Bhupinder was removed from his cell in a coma. He was taken away by a team of policemen including the DSP, Mr. Tand and the Inspector of Police, Mr. Bajwa.

That same night, Bhupinder Singh Sarang was killed in an encounter staged on the outskirts of the village of Middu Kheda near the town of Malout, under the jurisdiction of Lambi Police Station about 40 km from Mukstar.

Bhupinder’s father, Ujagar Singh became suspicious about the whereabouts of his son on reading a news item in an issue of Jagbani (a vernacular daily) dated 26 May which reported that a terrorist had been killed in an armed encounter with the police near the village of Middu Kheda on the night of 24 May. He went to Muktsar police station to inquire about his son but received no information. He then went to Lambi police station. He asked the police personnel present to show him the body of the terrorist who had been killed in the encounter. He was told that the body had been sent away for a postmortem examination at the civil hospital of Gidarvah a small town nearby. At the hospital he found that the body had been returned to the police station. On bribing a minor hospital official to show him. the clothes removed from the body, he was shown the same tracksuit his son had been wearing on the day of his arrest.

On 28 May Ujagar Singh was himself taken into custody by the Muktsar police and detained for more than eight hours. On) his release he was warned that if he publicized the case of his son, he too would meet with the same fate. He was rearrested on7 June the day on which a religious ceremony to appease the soul of his dead son was to take place. It seems that the police did not want him to talk about his son’s death to family and friends who were expected to take part. He was released the next morning.

“He (the father) was rearrested on June 7, the day on which a religious ceremony to appease the soul of his dead son was to take place.”

Ujagar Singh was arrested for the third time on 13 January 1988 on his way to a religious function at which he was expected to sing religious hymns. At the police station he was again warned not to talk about his dead son in any religious congregation. He was released on the evening of 14 January after the intervention of Bhai Sharminder Singh, MP.

‘Tam waiting for them to kill me,” a detached Ujagar Singh told the present writer at the end of the interview on 2 April 1988.

 

 

THE VICTIMS:

* Sikhs Men & Women

THE OPPRESSORS

* Punjab Police

* Central Police

Criminal Investigation Agency

METHODS OF TORTURE

*Ripping Legs Apart

* Hanging Upside Down

* Rolling Heavy Pins on Legs till muscles rapture

* Chili powder stuffed into anus & petrol poured Over it.

OTHER SIGNIFICANT ACTS

* Illegal detentions by police.

* Extortion of money to release innocent people

* Extra judicial killings of those tortured beyond the limits.

* Threatening remaining family members with dire consequences.

LEGAL RECOURSE

* None under the new laws there is no legal recourse, accused are presumed guilty till they convince the police that they are innocent. Police does not maintain any record of these arrests.

This is India which is called a democracy. When will the world wake up and stop the genocide of the minorities.

We Urge You To Share This Information With Your Friends & Representatives.

These facts are brought to Singh Sabha of New York pp by: 4369 Bowne Street Flushing, New York 11355 (718) 4612611

Article extracted from this publication >>  April 7, 1989