JAMMU: A controversy has ballooned between the Punjab police and ISK police aver the killing of two alleged Punjab militants.

A team of Punjab police officials from ‘Tam Taran police district reached Jammu July 19, to collect details about the killing of Santokh Singh and Manveer Singh, who hulled from Nabha. The Jammu police was perhaps under tremendous pressure to show results following a bomb blast in a mini bus at Satwari, on July 16, which claimed six lives andteft27 injured and earlier killing of Hariani Singh, president J& k unit of Akali Dal (Mann).

Punjab police official from Taran Taran, said that the slain persons had done good work in providing information about militants: in Punjab and Jammu.

According to Jammu police, the two were shot dead while trying to escape when police cordoned off a house in Pakula Nogararea of the city at 3 a.m., on Monday.

However, enquires from the neighborhood revealed that nobody heard any firing or commotion in the early hours of the morning.

On the other hand, according to Jammu police, both the cases bomb blast in a mini bus and killing of Hamam Singh have been solved with the killing of these persons. Inspector General of Police Jammu zone A. K. Suri, claimed that the alleged militants were involved in these two cases.

Police officials from Tam Taran maintain that the weapons recovered from the slain persons were provided by the Punjab police to enable them to mingle with militant groups.

 They expressed surprise and disgust over the fact that Jammu police who was duly informed about the presence of these informers in Jammu preferred to kill them, just to “show results.” However, very few people believe the theory given by the Jammu police. At the bhog ceremony of the slain Akali leader Hamam Singh on Tuesday, majority of the speakers alleged that wrong persons have been killed while the killers belonging to Mohinder Singh Pappi gang who are locals are still roaming fore.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 29, 1994