Chandigarh: The police allegedly kept a granthi, Sucha Singh, along with his wife Kanso (45) and their two daughters, Majo (18) and Jinder (16) in illegal custody and tortured them for nine days at the Katho Nangal police station in Amritsar till they were rescued by Warrant Officer S.S. Bajwa following an order by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday evening.
The High Court had issued warrants with directions to search and recover detainees on a habeas corpus petition filed by Mr. Mani Singh a relative of Sucha Singh.
Kanso revealed here that the police wanted them to produce their son Gurmej Singh (20) who had become a Nihang about seven years ago and had joined a “chhauni” (camp) of Baba Santa Singh the Nihang chief. Since then, according to Kanso, Gurmej has never visited home and the family has no contact with him. Sucha Singh and Kanso do not even know why Gurmej was wanted by the police as they have no knowledge about what he has been doing all these years.
The police allegedly beat up Sucha Singh almost every day.
Majo and Jinder said that for the first four days after their detention they along with their mother were manhandled by male police officials. Later two women constables came to the Katho Nangal police station and gave them a thrashing, they said.
Mr. Mani Singh said four others, who had been kept in illegal custody along with Sucha Singh’s family Gurdial Singh, Jagir Singh, Taru Singh and Bikkar Singh were also rescued from the police station.
Mr. Mani Singh, in the writ petition, has alleged that Gurbachan Kaur Chindo, Gurdial Singh, Jagir Singh and Buta Singh are also in illegal custody.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 5, 1985
