AMRITSAR: Many more skeletons seem to be stacked in the cupboard of the Punjab Po lice as a large number of more Cases of missing youths from various districts have been coming to light. The Punjab Human Rights Organization (PHRO), headed by Justice (Retd) Ajit Singh Bains, through its district units have identified about 100 more cases of missing youths in addition to a list and 984 unidentified bodies cremated by the police during peak x of militancy. The office ne PHRO here is visited by parents and relatives of many such youths every day to submit affidavits, to be handed over to the CBI which is conducting a probe into the cremation of unidentified bodies on the orders of the Supreme Court. Assembled in the PHRO office last week, many parents of missing youths, said that their efforts to get justice had so far proved futile. Kirpal Singh Randhawa, Secretary Investigation, PHRO, brought the families of victims face to face with this reporter. Hari Singh (72), a resident of village Dhotian in Tehsil Tarn Taran said that his only son, Hardial Singh, was kidnapped by Inspector, Harbans Singh, CIA staff, Tam Taran, on August 18, 1989, when he and his son were going in a bus to attend a court case at Sangrur. He identified the official present in the Tarn Taran police station where his son was taken as Sit a Ram. Whereabouts of Hardial Singh are not known till later. Gumam Singh, an unfortunate father of three sons, all of whom are missing, claimed that the police had never told him about the crime committed by his sons. Belonging to village Fatty Dhinga in district Kapurthala, he said that his elder son, Amarjit Singh along with a friend, Bakhshish Singh, was taken into police custody from a bus at Jalalabad bus stand. He was going from Khadoor Sahib to Dhulka village to meet some relatives. Gurnam Singh said that the day was March 15, 1990 and the police party consisted of Sub Inspector Swaran Singh of Khadoor Sahib and Teg Babadur Singh of the Varopal police station.
Hari Singh said that his other two sons, Prithipal Singh and Gurmej Singh, were produced before Assistant Sub Inspector of the Fattu Dhinga police post by the village Panchayat. The ASI Joga Singh had assured the” Panchayat of their release after an inquiry. He said that the SSP Kapurthala, Ajit Sir, Sandhu had later informed that both his sons were killed. But the bodies had never been handed over to him. Ajit Singh, a resident of village Sultan wind alleged that his daughter Harpreet Kaur, a school teacher had gone to Versa to see his aunt on June 25, 1992, But she never reached her destination. He said that he had came to know through newspaper reports that she had been killed in an encounter with the police. But the family never received her dead body. Chaman Lal, a resident of Amritsar, is a broken man. He said that his son Gulshan Kumar (20), was taken away from his house by the city police on June 22, 1993. He said that the police had interrogated his son in some theft case and that $6” and his three other sons were also taken to the police station, they were beaten up in the presence of DSP, Dilbagh Singh. He said that after some time he saw his son’s photograph pasted’ in the police station among the militants killed in an encounter. Amarjit Kaur, a resident of Khalchina in Amritsar said that her husband, Sukhchan and mother-in-law, Gurmej were kid napped near Phagwara by SHO Harjit Singh Brar. They have not returned so far.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 4, 1996
