Report regarding the illegal Detention, Physical and Mental & Constant harassment of Bibi Rachpal Kaur —a victim of State Repression

Rachpal Kaur, aged 46 years, W/o Shaheed Bhai Jarnail Singh V&P Pawar, Tehsil Samrala, District Ludhiana.

She Narrated her story of woe in the following words to Dr. Mrs. Sukhjeet Gill Vice Chairperson Punjab Human Rights Organization when she went to enquire about her case on 24th Jan, 1991:-

“On 15-11-89 about 7.30 P.M., 9-10 police men came to our house, one young man was in their custody. They asked me whether I knew him, I told them that I do not know him. There after I was also arrested by the police and taken to C.I.A. Staff Samrala. I was physically beaten by Inspector Tiwari and by the other police constables. They gave me beating inside the room and also abused me, I can recognize them, I was then taken to court yard. The young man who was in their custody when the police had come to my house was stripped naked and was beaten by the police in the court yard by the iron bars,

I came to know that the young man was Gurnam Singh Babar. Some time they took me to room and some time they took me outside the court yard. They continued beating me upto mid night. They also continued beating and torturing Gurnam Singh Babbar, His hands were tied behind his back. One man stood behind him and he pulled back Gurnam Singh by catching him from the hairs and two persons on each side caught hold of his legs and were pulling apart his legs and they were asking him that we have illicit relations and Gurnam Singh was saying that do not say this, she is like my mother, Then they took me inside the room, there was any police people but we were beaten by Inspector Tiwari and 10-12 other persons turn by turn.

When Gurnam Singh Babbar had come in the Custody of police to my house he was in a very bad shape, he could walk with great difficulty; he had injuries on his face and other parts of the body. Police asked me to serve them meal and due to fear I serve them meal. Gurnam Singh Babbar could not eat meal as he could not open his mouth due to injuries.

I was taken to my house at about 2-3 a.m, I saw that my whole house was ransacked and nothing was left in the house including bed sheets etc. The fire place for cooling (chula) was dismantled and the luggage was taken out from ny boxes(peti). Daily police used to come to my house upto 12-1-90 and every time they asked me where about of my husband Jarnail Singh and my two sons, Jaswinder Singh, aged 22 years and Jasdev Singh, aged 17 years. The day I was arrested by the police my husband had gone to Samrala and my younger son Happy had gone to his aunt (father’s sister) and my older son had gone for his work, I came to know that my husband came to house after my arrest and went away and my two sons never came again due to police fear. I heard that my sons were also tortured by the police. I did not see my husband and my sons thereafter.

People of the area gheroed the C.I.A. Staff at Samrala on 20-12-89 against the state repression and demanded the Suspension of C.I.A, Inspector Tiwari and inquiry into the death of Gurnam Singh Babbar. Gurnam Singh Babbar had been murdered by the police in gx fake encounter. General Narinder Singh, Bimal Kaur Khalsa, M.P., Rajinder Kaur Bullara, M.P. and others had also joined the gharao, Government then ordered magisterial inquiry into the murder of Gurnam Singh Babbar. After the inquiry was ordered Nachiwara Police and Samrala police used to come to my house daily and threaten me of dire consequence if I appeared as a witness of Gurnam Singh Babbar. They also told me that you had seen Gurnam Singh in our custody being tortured and if you will appear as a witness against the police then you will also meet the same fate as of Gurnam Singh Babbar and your whole family will be finished,

On 12-1-90 news appeared in the newspaper about my evidence. Then I left my house as my conscious wanted me to speak the truth. I was not to save the murderers of the innocents by speaking lies. In these circumstances I left the house due to police fear that they may not kidnap me and not allow me as a witness, on 14-2-90, I went to Samrala and deposed before the inquiry magistrate what I had seen about Gurnam Singh Babbar, On the night of 14th February and 15th February the khanna Police came to my daughter’s house where I was living in village Sekhon Deekot. They took me along with them. 2-3 persons of the village also accompanied me. Khanna Police then left us at Samrala Police Station, Samrala Police took us to hospital at about 7.00 a.m, A dead body was shown to me, I identified the dead boy as of my husband, They told me that Machiwara Police told that my husband had hanged himself ‘from electric pole. After post mortem police remained with us till the body was cremated in the village, I did not see any mark of violence on the neck of my husband’s body. I saw the whole dead body at the time when body was washed before cremation. My husband was killed by the police after I had appeared against the police in the inquiry. He had not committed suicide as made out by the police. I and my husband lived a happy family life. I did not go to village after that. Both my sons are still missing. I had read in the newspaper that my younger son Happy was in the custody of Ropar C.I.A. Staff and he was being tortured. Machiwara Police even comes sometime to our house in the village and makes inquiry about me as I do not live now in my husband’s village due to police fear. Our land lies uncultivated as the police does not allowed being cultivated. Police has threatened the villagers that if they would cultivate our land then they would also meet the same fate, and my whole house is ruined and the where about of my sons are not known. It is feared that my younger son Happy might have been killed by the police by now. Another younger sister Baljit Kaur is married in the Village Pawar. Her husband had died about 3 months earlier. She was also arrested 13 times since Novemver by the Machiwara police. She remained in police custody for 13 days and during custody she was also beaten and tortured, Due to this harassment my husband’s death, and her husband’s death she died out of shock. For her death also police is also responsible. Machiwara Police, S.H.O. Manmohan Singh and Gurdip Singh were responsible. Teja Singh and Manmohan Singh are residents of Village Jandiali, District Ludhiana, They are the husbands of my husband’s sister, They are also harassed by the Machiwara Police. My brother Bhag Singh was also arrested and remained in custody for 13 days. My husband’s cousin Darshan Singh was also arrested by A.S.I. Gurdip Singh of Machiwara Police and remained in police custody for 13 days. My husband’s younger brothers Saudhagar Singh and Bahadur Singh were kept for 13 days in police custody in the days when Director General Mangat’s relations were kidnaped.

The aforesaid statement of Rachpal Kaur was recorded by Dr. Sukhjit Kaur Gill, Vice Chairman of PHRO. The statement is self-explanatory. It discloses how a happy family was ruined by the police.

Conclusion:

  1. From her statement it is evident that Gurnam Singh Babbar was tortured and killed by the police in the custody.
  2. Her husband Jarnail Singh was also killed by the police as she appeared as a witness against the police in the magisterial inquiry in Gurnam Singh Babbar’s murder inquiry.
  3. Her two sons Jaswinder Singh and Jasdev Singh Disappeared and their whereabouts are not known, 4. She herself was tortured by the police. Her house has been ransacked and she is in ruins. Her land is lying vacant without cultivation. Her sister and her husband also died due to police accesses.
  4. Her brother Bhag Singh and other relatives are also being harassed.
  5. A happy family came to an end and Rachpal Kaur is now living with her relations as a destitute.

PHRO demands that Inspector Tiwari, S.H.O. Manmohan Singh and Gurdip Singh be suspended and case be registered against them for the murder of Gurnam Singh Babbar and Jarnail Singh and for kidnaping the two sons of Rachpal Kaur and also for torturing Bibi Rachpal Kaur. A compensation of Rs, 2 Lacs be given to Rachpal Kaur.

Thousands of families in Punjab like that of Bibi Rachpal Kaur are ruined by the State repression. State repression cannot bring peace and it has become counted protective. It is demanded that the rule of law be restore and lawlessness of the police be ended.