CANDIGARH, India: Five persons, including two freedom fighters were gunned down in Punjab during the last 24 hours.
A report from Jullundur said that a bullet ridden body was recovered at village Sheron, District Amritsar. According to a report, two unidentified gunmen killed one woman identified as Amrik Kaur at village Khapur Khera under P.S. Chhehrta, last night.
The Director General of Police, J.F. Ribeiro disclosed to the pressmen that the security forces killed two Sikh freedom fighters at village Parchuri under P.S. Jandala, early yesterday. Ribeiro said that one of the freedom fighters, Bhai Daya Singh was a righthand man of Singh Sahib Jathedar Gurbachan Singh Manochachal, the acting Chief of Akal Takht, Amritsar, who carried a reward of Rs. 45,000 on his head. The other person identified as Balbir Singh was allegedly wanted in many cases. He cited the same old cock and bull story that when they were gheraod after a tip from some informer, they opened fire. In an encounter both were killed. It is well known now that Punjab police has become a postmaster in fabricating such stories of the fake encounters.
Bhai Daya Singh was the second top most aide of Bhai Gurbachan Singh Manochchal to be killed during the last three months. Earlier, on October 28, Bhai Boola Singh, Jathedar Manochahal’s personal bodyguard, was killed in a fake encounter.
The latest reports add that the mystery surrounds the murder of Tarlochan Singh Riasty as no freedom fighters organization has claimed the responsibility for these killings.
The circles believe that Riasti was openly apprehensive about his death but he was publically saying that the threat to his life was more from the Punjab police, rather than the Sikh freedom fighters.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 15, 1988
