CHANDIGARH: Violations of human rights of Sikhs in Punjab continued unabated last week.
Mohali Township remained closed on August 27 to protest against the kidnapping of Jarnail Singh a chemist of Phase V by plain clothed policemen.
Jarnail Singh was kidnapped at 8:15 p.m on Sunday by armed persons in a white Maruti van when he was leaving after closing the shop. His wife Sukhjit Kaur lodged a complaint with the local police. She had been running from pillar to post in search of her husband but to avail. Sukhjit Kaur is the mother of three small children.
Agitated shopkeepers suspected that the Chandigarh police had taken away Jamail Singh who belonged in Habri village of Kurkukshetra district in Haryana. His in laws live at Kauli village in Patiala district.
The Chandigarh police led by its SSP Sumedh Saini let loose a reign of terror in Mohali the only Sikh majority town in Punjab. Residents had been illegally picked up harassed and tortured Recently Rajinderpal Singh a leader of Babbar Akali Dal was arrested by the Chandigarh police which does not acknowledge this fact.
The local (Mohali) police denied Jamail Singh was in its custody Sukhraj Kaur denied that her husband indulged in any illegal activity.
Parvinder Singh a lower division clerk in Punjab State Electricity Board was taken in custody by the police from his Balachaur Office on August 3 1990 at 10 a.m His father Chain Singh who retired as Jathedar Takht Kesgarh Saheb has been going from pillar to post without success. The son remains untraced.
Suspected police cats burnt to death four members of the family of militant Balwinder Singh Jatana of Babbar Khalsa International at his village Jatana near Chankaur Saheb on August 30.
The cats entered the village at 3a.m. opened face fire from AK-47 rifles. They killed Dwarki Kaur (80) Jasmer Kaur (50) Manpreet Kaur (15) and Simranjit Singh (5). Before leaving the cats set the house on fire destroying the evidence of the crime.
Dwarki Kaur was Balwinder Singh’s grandmother Jasmer Kaur was his aunt and Manpreet his niece. The five—yr-old was a physically handicapped nepher of the militant.
The people of Chamkaur Saheb and Bela observed a complete strike to protest against the killings of the relations of the militant who were unarmed and had no connection with the movement as such.
Already the police have picked up Jatana’s father Sohan Singh uncle Ram Daoo and nephew Pawan Singh leaving no adult male member in the house.
Punjab unit of the Communist Party of India which has been supporting the police and the sweeping powers given to it has demanded a C.B.I enquiry into the cases of police repression including fake encounters in Bathinda district.
The party’s assistant secretary Joginder Bhasin in a letter to Governor Surinder Nath cited specific examples of the cases. The panchayat of Karuana village handed over to police one Harjinder Singh a suspect of a robbery case at milk plant Bathinda but the police subsequently showed him as killed in an encounter. Some prominent persons of Chughe Khurd handed over to the police one Buta Singh suspected to be involved in the killing of a panchayat member. His whereabouts are not known till date although he was handed over to the police on June 30 last.
In yet another case Ginder Singh of Bathinda was taken into custody about a month ago. Nothing was known about him. Major Singh of Mchna was arrested along with his cousin Major Singh died in police custody The C.P.I leader said none of the persons mentioned above was involved in militant activity. He also quoted several cases of harassment of innocent persons by the police.
Bhasin also complained that the police was harassing political and trade union activists belonging to his party also It detained seven trucks meant for carrying volunteers to Ferozepur.
Guards attached to D.S.P. Dayanand posted to Shivalik View hotel at Chandigarh on being refused food at an odd time manhandled one of the cooks and tore his clothes according to the hotel employees union. It said that it was the third incident of its kind with authorities taking no action against the guilty policemen. The management however assured the staff that the complaint would be taken up at a higher level.
Parents of students of Sector 33 government model secondary school at Chandigarh complained that the government of India’s security outfit CRPF had forcibly occupied the science block of the school to deprive their wards of the facility of practical’s. The school administration has no means to evict the force from the school.
Akali Dal (Mann) and Minorities a Dalit Front in separate identical statements condemned the Janttana carnage. They said peace could not be restored by killing unarmed women and children as waste at Jattana.
In a relentless campaign against leaders of the Babbar Dal the police arrested Bhai Jasmer Singh chief of its Ropar district unit. Earlier a party general secretary Bhai Rajinderpal Singh was arrested by the police from his Mohali residence The police failed to acknowledge the arrest despite public statements by several groups deploring the harassment.
Leaders of AISSF (Manjit) in a statement alleged that the police misbehaved with members of the family of the late Bhai Amrik Singh at Jhindwala village in Faridkot district last week. An ASI of Mukatear police post visited the village to dismantle a block indicating the renamed Bhai Amrik Singh Road.
The meeting was also sponsored by the block Congress (I) unit of Tam Taran According to BCC (I) President Surinder Singh Kanwal the meeting was expected to be attended by more than 100 village representatives to protest against police repression and they were expected to resign on mass from their posts. Daleke and other leaders were rounded up before they could reach the venue. Daleke who had an appointment with the district police chief was not allowed to proceed further. He wanted to narrate to the police chief specific instances of police repression and misbehavior with women detainees in police stations.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 6, 1991
