CHANDIGARH: Ever since the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the disappearance of Mohinder Kaur, mother of Khalistan Commando Force chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar, from the custody of the Tarn Taran police, life has become one big hell for the 40odd relatives of the militant’s family.
Efforts made by several of them to seek anticipatory bail from the court and protection from the Tarn Taran police (against whom they have to depose before the CBI) have proved futile, with at least three of them having allegedly been picked up illegally by the local police.
Jaspal Singh, chairman of the human rights wing, says that fear had forced the family of Mohinder Kaur to reconcile itself to the disappearance of Mohinder Kaur. But its reserve has been broken, now that the Taran Tar police has allegedly “abducted” Rajwinder Singh, younger brother of Panjwar.
“The high court ordered the CBI inquiry, but it cannot ensure the safety of all the relatives (of Panjwar) who are witnesses in this case. Each one of them has been threatened by the Tarn Taran police of dire consequences in case they dared to speak before the CBI,” according to R.S. Bain, secretary of the human rights wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal. Panjwar’s relatives, who are allegedly being threatened by Senior Superintendent of Police Ajit Singh Sandhu, include the families and in laws of Panjwar’s five brothers. Each family member has been picked up by the police at some time or the other over the last three years.
The Akali human rights’ wing alleges that all the torture inflicted on the family of Panjwar was during SSP Ajit Singh Sandhu’s tenure at Tarn Taran. After his transfer to Ropar, the atrocities on Panjwar’s family reportedly stopped.
Charging that Sandhu was transferred back to Tarn Taran to ensure that no one depose before the CBI, the human rights group says that a fair CBI enquire may now be an impossible task.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 28, 1995
