From News Dispaches AMRITSAR: Cases of harassment and humiliation of innocent people at the hands of the police and parliamentary forces are pouring in from the countryside of this trouble torn border district, official denial notwithstanding, the Tribune reported.

There are complaints galore from the rural belt of Tarn Taran and Majitha police districts about tales of police picking up youth detaining and torturing them for days together, and holding them to ransom. Over enthusiasm among police officials to produce results against militants has also resulted in the booking of a number of youths with minor or no charges against them.

The case of 60 year old Inder Singh an ex-serviceman is not an isolated one, A resident of Kotli Saru Khan village near Verowal told The Tribune reporter how the police at lower levels was harassing the public and extorting money under the garb of fighting terrorism. His house was raided on July 7 by a police party from Verowal police station, But on finding nothing objectionable the police took away his only son, Balwinder Singh, for questioning. Allhis pleas and that of panchayat (local government) members about the innocence of the youth went unheeded. Even a written guarantee by elders was of no avail. Bal‘winder was tortured for three days at the police station and was unable to walk properly when his father went to the police station to seek his release.

Inder Singh alleged that the police official had told him bluntly to pay RS 10,000 failing which his son would be “eliminated” in a fake encounter. He then approached the IG (Border) to bring to his notice the case of police high handiness. On his intervention, the SSP Tam Taran summoned the SHO concerned and reprimanded him. Balwinder was released the following day with several torture marks on his body. A medical examination revealed four inquires on various parts of his body caused by blunt weapons. Inder Singh has also written to the Punjab Governor demanding action against the guilty.

Another youth of Bundala village near Jandiala was picked up from his farmhouse about a week ago following information that militants had taken meals there one night. The family of the youth, an employee of the Punjab Mandi Board, is still ignorant about the boy’s whereabouts.

Although the government claims to haye taken steps to rehabilitate the youth released from the Jodhpur jail, many of them are reported to have been taken in custody on one pretext or the other. One youth Kulwinder Singh alias Chinda, was picked up from his village Dhaul, in the Majitha area on June 16. He was allegedly tortured at the interrogation centre here. His parents have approached the governor to intervene. The police denies that he was picked up.

Another former Jodhpur detainee, Bhagwan Singh of Manawala village, is said to be in police custody for the past fortnight without resignation of a case against him. His aged mother has left the village due to harassment by the police. Yet another youth, Bhupinder Singh of Amritsar, is reported to be missing for the past three weeks. His parents have filed a petition in the court with a request to produce: their son who they allege, was taken away by the police.

The woes of distressed villagers generally go unheeded as the grievances redress able machinery in the rural areas is hardly functioning. The rural peace and development committees exist more or less on paper only.

 

Article extracted from this publication >>  August 4, 1989