CHANDIGARH: Mr. Simranjit Singh Mann, president Shiromani Akali Dal Mann deposing before the Khudian Commission here, stated that on December 29, 1989, I went to the canal bank and found only two Police constables present there guarding the place of the incident, which according to the Police was a Point from where Mr. Khudian had jumped into the canal. I found drag marks Boing towards the water from the bank of the canal. After half an hour DSP Anant Ram reached there. I inquired from him about the Progress of investigation into the case. The DSP did not give any information.
Mr. Mann said, “My impression is that the Punjab police deliberately did not conduct fair investigation as so many Officers with criminal records had been posted in Punjab and they can go to any extent to please their political masters.
Mr. Mann said “I was not happy at the manner in which the investigation was progressing. None of the 16 I.G.s in Punjab had spared time to visit the spot.
“I excluded suicide because the drag marks leading to the water were too deep and no person who wanted to commit suicide would drag his bottoms so strongly into the canal. Moreover the Jathedar being a religious man had no reason to commit suicide.
Mr Mann further deposed that “the threat given by my party on January 2, 1990 had the desired effect and the body was taken out of the canal on January 3, 1990.
Undue delay in giving the cause of death of the Jathedar by the doctors, that too ambitious was not a routine but it was rather done under a well throughout program.”
Mr. Mann added that the condition of the body did not show that it had remained in water for many days. Mr. Mann produced an English version of a letter allegedly written by Sant Harchand Singh Longowal before Operation Bluestar to Mr. R.K Dhawan the then Personal Secretary to Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The Sant had purportedly asked for the operation as per the details allegedly discussed with the Sant by Mr. P.S. Badal earlier.
Mr, Mann said that Mr. Khudian had informed public about the causes of Operation Bluestar. Mr. Mann said he had also distributed copies of the letter in his election campaign.
In his cross examination by H.S. Gill advocate for the commission, Mr. Mann stated “to my mind drag marks suggesting a scuffle were not there.”
The Commission further decided to inspect the spot on March 21, 1990.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 23, 1990
