Chandigarh: The Punjab Government has directed the police to register a case of murder against police officials involved in the alleged Kotla Ajner encounter.

 The government has also directed the police department to initiate departmental action against the security men indicted in an enquiry report for alleged excesses at Kathu Nangal. It has also been decided to hand over the investigation of the S.A.S, Nagar police encounter case to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a thorough probe.

‘These decisions were reportedly taken a couple of days ago. According to informed sources, the Director General of Police, Mr K.P.S. Gill, was consulted before taking a decision.

The Kotla Ajner case was taken up by Bhartia Kisan Union on the plea that the police had killed Mr Harpal Singh, son of Mr Didar Singh of Karkhans village and Mr Baljit Singh, son of Mr Kishan Singh of Salinas village, at Kotla Ajner on June 14.

According to the BKU, the two youth on a scooter were chased by a police party. They fell after their scooter slipped. As they tried to run the police reportedly opened fire. Mr Harpal Singh was injured while the other raised his hands in surrender.

The injured Harpal Singh was reportedly offered some water by some villagers. The police requisitioned more force and dispersed the villagers who had gathered there.

The next day, the BKU representation said, the police came out with a report that the two youth had died in an encounter with the police.

The police held that the two youth armed with one revolver each defied the police for four hours.

The then Home Secretary, Mr R.S. Mann, directed the then Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana, Mr S.S. Brar, to hold an enquiry into the case. An additional Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana conducted the enquiry and reportedly indicted the policemen. The enquiry report corroborated what BKU and villagers had stated in their respective representations.

No action was initiated on the reports until these were examined by legal luminaries. Some days ago, a decision to register a case of murder against the policemen involved in the case was taken. It was also decided to suspend those policemen. The decision taken at a high level meeting held under the chairmanship of the Governor has been conveyed to the police department.

The work on the enquiry reports by the boycott of the inaugural meeting of the State Advisory Council by Mr Bhupinder Singh Mann, M.P.

Immediately after the Council meeting, the Governor asked for enquiry reports. A series of meetings followed.

Since there was no clear indictment of the police for the S.A.S. Nagar encounter, it was decided to refer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a thorough probe to that action could be initiated against guilty persons. The case was taken up by Ms Bimal Kaur Khalsa, M.P., and BKU, besides other human rights organisations.

Mr Kulwant Singh of Nawagaon was shot dead in broad daylight in Phase VII on July 8. There was a public outcry followed by a complete bandh in the township on July 12, Mr P.S. Kohli, Adviser to the Governor visited the township. Mr Arun Goel, Additional Deputy Commissioner cum Chief Administrator, NAC, SAS Nagar, conducted an enquiry into the case and held that the police did not open fire in self defence in the incident mentioned in terms of reference of enquiry whether it was a fake or a genuine encounter, the report did not cover this aspect. The report held that the deceased could have been overpowered by the police.

The handing over of the probe to the CBI was primarily for fixing responsibility and for punishing the guilty officials,

In the case of the Kathunangal excesses, there were two reports. One of these enquiries was conducted by Commissioner of Jalandhar division and the other by the district magistrate of Amritsar. There was a difference of opinion in the final finding of the two enquiry reports.

The state took into consideration the report submitted by the divisionary of Jalandhar division and directed the police department to take action against those security men who were indicted in the report for committing excesses.

It is for the first time that the state government has decided to take action on enquiry reports. A number of other enquiry reports are pending action.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has also reportedly completed its work in the Jagdev Singh Khudian case. A special CBI team headed by an S.P. had been camping at Faridkot for the past three months. The challans in the case is likely to be filed in month or so.

 Nirlep Kaur dead

NEW DELHI: Nirlep Kaur, a former M.P. died at a private nursing, home.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 16, 1990