CHANDIGARH: Indian security forces continued to violate Punjab Sikhs’ human rights with torrents of reports pouring informal districts.
Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan held meeting somewhere in Ropar district under the chairmanship of its chief general Bhai Rachhpal Singh Sangha. It was stated there that the police had picked up the 40-yr-old mother and 16-yr-old sister and other members of Bhai Sarmukh Singh Ritha’s family as hostages to seek out the ‘militant, the meeting warned the police authorities against such tactics.
The Ludhiana police picked up Bhai Ram Singh Sohi, a progressive farmer of Thrike village, to compel him to arrange the surrender of his ‘son for the latter’s alleged involvement in militant activity. Bhai Sohi’s son was picked up earlier too but was released by the police after questioning him. He was arrested ‘merely on a statement of certain ‘militant that he knew him as they belonged to the same class in the Guru Nanak Engineering College. According to members of the family of Bhai Sohi, the real reason for the harassment was litigation between Bhai Sohi and a group of alleged land grabbers who fraudulently had certain land transferred to their names. Bhai Sohi had sent countless telegrams and representations to the Punjab government authorities against the attempts by his adversaries to get him involved in some or the other case So that he was prevented from pursuing his own cases against the land-grabbers.
The police at Dera Bassiin Patiala district detained a Sikh youth, Kulwant, while others were set free, the youth was not. The police claimed that complaints had been received about the youth’s involvement with Babbar Khalsa International. He was produced before the D.S.P., Rajpura, who ordered that the Rajpura police further interrogate him. He was released only after the people of Dangdehra followed up ‘and represented to the authorities ‘about the youth. Actually, he was wrongly detained as Kulwans Singh had no association with the B.K.U. either, according to the local people. There was suspicion among the public that the police wanted to kill Kulwant Singh to get rewards and promotions but he was saved by the public.
Several youths in Bath India district have been reported missing, according to complaints made to the Deputy Commissioner, Darbara Singh, by the parents. Kaur Singh and his wife Surjeet Kaur stated that their son Parmjit Singh had been missing since August 7. The police of Budhlada where Paramjit Singh was taken to said that he had “disappeared” from the police station. The district police chief H. SKahlon ordered registration of case of abduction of the Budhlada S.H.O. following a preliminary enquiry. The parents, however, continue to be in dark about their son. Police officers give no clue about his whereabouts.
A delegation of Indian Peoples Front headed by Hakam Singh Samon complained to the district officers that one of their workers, Mal Singh of Chahoke village, had been picked up by the Bhikhi police ‘on Aug.21 from his village and had been missing since then.
The panchayat members of Oba village in a written complaint to the district authorities alleged that two youths of the village before any court.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered an enquiry into the disappearance of the 22-yr-old son of a widow alleged to have been “kidnapped” by the police and CRPF from a village tournament in the Baba Bakaia sub-division area ‘on March 29 this year, it is reliably learnt.
A court order marking inquiry to the Amritsar Sessions Court was passed by Justice G.S. Chahal on Sept.9, on the basis of a writ petition filed by Amarjit Kaur, mother of the ‘missing youth, Manjit Singh and affidavits submitted by two village panchayat in support of her allegation.
The petitioner had stated that the whereabouts of her son were not known since the day he was “kid- napped” by security forces without ‘any charges or case against him.
While ordering an inquiry to be conducted by Amar Dutt, Sessions Judge, the High Court apparently refused to believe the affidavit filed by Paramyit Singh Gill, SSP, Majitha police district have Manjit Singh of Dhardeo, village under Chowk Mehta police station was never taken into custody by the Majitha police. According to informed sources, the Sessions Court would submit affect finding report on the case to the High Court in 45 days. The first hearing of the case was held here with the recording of the statement of the petitioner. This is the second High Court inquiry being faced by the Majitha police on the charges of disappearance of persons alleged to have been taken into custody by it.
The first probe was ordered in August this year into the “missing” sacked Punjab police ASI Lakhwinder Singh, who in the code name or “lakha maruti” was head of an underground hit squad of the police and was alleged to have been arrested on charges of having links with the militants in February this year.
In the petition number 462/1991, filed in the High Court seeking the recovery of Manjit Singh, his aged mother has contended that her son was “kidnapped” by a police party led by the SHO of Beas, Sub-Inspector Amar Singh and the CRPF Commandant of Rayya from Gaggarbhana village while he was participating in a kabaddi tournament on the March29 evening. Three other youth Kumar, Roop Singh and Daljit Singh all players were also taken away along with Manyit Singh, it said.
The petitioner alleged that Daljit Singh and Vipan Kumar were left off the next day by the police after accepting a bribe, while Roop Singh was challenged in a “fabric case.
However, Manjit Singh was neither challenged nor presented in any court, despite frantic enquiries by the village.
According to the mother, her younger son Sardool Singh also kidnapped by the SHO, Chowk Mehta, Sub-Inspector Swaran Singh with help of Rayya CRPF com- ‘mandate on April3, along with nine other students and teacher Pal Singh from Adarsh Model School in Dhardeo later, all were released after 10 days on the representation ‘made by the village panchayat to the Punjab Governor on April 13.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 4, 1991
