LUDHIANA: Ram Singh Biling a journalist from Tathogal village Sangrur district was reportedly taken into custody by police at a police check post on January 3.1992 He was travelling by bus from Malarkotia to Jallandhar. Ram Singh Billing aged 35 is a reporter for Az di Avaz and Ajit two Punjabi daily newspapers published from Jallandhar. He is also the district secretary of the Punjab Human Rights Organization (PHRO).
Ram Singh Billing was reportedly taken to the police check post of Lohat Badhi on the Malerkotla-Rai Kot road where farmer from Palasour village spoke whim. Ram Singh Billing reportedly said he heard that he might be killed. The following day his uncle and the elders of his village council went to the Lohat Badd police post and also saw Ram Singh Bilin but was not permitted to speak to him. Officials at the police post told them that they had been instructed not to let Ram Singh Biling tak to anyone.
On January 6 a delegation of villagers met with the Sub-Superintendent of Police (SSP0) of Sangrur. The latter first denied any knowledge but when the villagers told him they had seen Ram Singh Biling in police custody the SSP replied that other security agencies might have ordered his detention and that the police were temporarily keeping him He promised an inquiry. The Journalists Union made a similar request. It is not known whether an inquiry was held or what its outcome was. Several organizations of journalists and minority committees have expressed concern about this arrest to the local authorities.
Gurmeet Singh son of Ranbir Singh from Khokar village Sangrur district president of Des Punjab Students Union and the editor of a Punjabi paper “Paigam” was reportedly arrested by police from Sangrur on Jan.2, 1192. He was arrested with Harpreet Singh son of Joginder Singh from Bhagike village Faridkot district who is also a student. Both are Sikhs. They were on their way t0 Salem when they were stopped by police at Chowk Melha.
“Two members of the same group were arrested on Jan.151992 and Killed the same night by what a local civil liberties group alleged was a “fake encounter” with the police. Fears have been expresser that Gurmeet Singh and Harpree Singh might meet the same fate.
Telegrams and airmail letter were sent to the Governor 0: Punjab District of Punjab Police PHRO and the Ambassador of India in US expressing concern that Ram Singh Biling Gurmeet Singh and Harpreet Singh were taker without cause and being held in police custody.
Amnesty International regularly receives reports of “disappearances” unacknowledged detention and extrajudicial killings of people arrested in Punjab on suspicion of being members or sympathizer so! one of the Sikh opposition groups advocating a separate Sikh state “Khalistan” In some cases the detainees are eventually found to have died in custody while others are found have been deliberately killed in custody although official reports say they died in “encounters” with the police. Even though legal safeguards against unacknowledged detention exist in India’s ordinary criminal law and procedural code:
Article extracted from this publication >> February 14, 1992
