NEW DELHI: After RUNNING from pillar 16 posts in vain for securing the release of her two married sons from the clutches of the Punjab police a widow Harbans Kaur has finally approached the Supreme Court for help:

On a habeas corpus petition filed by the widow the vacation Bench of Justice B. P. Jeevan Reddy and Justice N. P. Singh on July 4 directed the Punjab police to produce the two brothers in the court on July 13

The court also issued notices to the six respondents Union Home Secretary Punjab’s Chief Secretary Director General of Police (BGP) Ludhiana’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Deputy SP Ghumar Mandi police station. Ludhiana and Sub-inspector police station No 5 Chowki Ghumar Mandi

Earlier when the judges enquired from) petitioners counsel K. K. Gupta regarding the urgency the matter he replied: Your lord Ships know about the Punjab police i t encounter showing them as militants.

The petitioner a resident of Durgapur Habowal Kalan in Ludhiana district has contended that both the police officers wanted to grab her house and that the Dy SP had on many occasions eyen threatened to implicate her four sons and their family members under TADA unless she parted with the house

She stated that on April3 her son Surrender Pal Singh was summoned to the police post through a constable. Since then his whereabouts were not known.

The petitioner alleged that on April 4 Sub-inspector Sharma along with some policemen broke open her house and took away many articles

Subsequently on April 27 a constable came to the petitioner’s house and stated that if her son Gurbax Singh appeared before the Sub-Inspector at the Ghumar Mandi police post Surinder Pal Singh would be released.

Gurbux Singh apparently went to meet the police officer on the same day itself and was detained: He was allegedly mercilessly beaten up while in the police custody and was admitted in an unconscious condition in a Ludhiana hospital on June 9. He died three days later in the hospital.

Meanwhile on June 5 the police had also picked up petitioners third son Surjit Singh despite the fact that his arrest had been stayed by the Additional Sessions Judge Ludhiana through his order dated June 2

The petitioner claimed that though the police had registered a false case against his sons but till date none have been produced in any court.

She met the DGP on June 6 but he turned down her request saying that being the militants mother she had no right to see them

Article extracted from this publication >> July 8, 1994