WSN Service
LUDHIANA: The Senior Superintendent of police, Ludhiana Mr. S.S. Saini in a press conference on the 12th instant disclosed that Bhai Baldev Singh Ghudani and Bhai Kashmir Singh Nanowal were killed the previous night in a police encounter near Jhamat Drain Bridge when they ambushed the Police party led by Shiv Kumar Inspector of the CIA and Balpir Chand Tiwari, the SHO of police station Dehlon and that one Ak-47 rifle and one .38 pore pistol and had been recovered from the site,
Prior to this, a news item had appeared in the Punjabi Tribune dated 8.8.89 emanating from its Amloh Reporter that Bhai Kashmir Singh Nanowal, Bhai Baldev Singh Ghudani and Bhai Manjit Singh Bhikhi had been arrested near Amloh on the 6th and 7th August respectively. Moreover, on August 11, the Punjab Human Rights Organization had issued a press statement demanding production of these captured persons in the court of law.
After the story of this alleged encounter appeared a PHRO team comprising of S. Gurbhajan Singh Gill and S. Mohinder Singh Grewal, the secretaries of the PHRO after visiting the concerned places came to the conclusion that Bhai Kashmir Singh was arrested on 6.8.89 whereas Bhai Baldev Singh and Bhai Manjit Singh Bhikhi were captured on 7.8.89 and that Bhai Baldey Singh and Bhai Kashmir Singh were murdered on the night between August 11 and 12 while in police custody by a police party led by Inspector Shiv Kumar and Sub inspector Balbir Chand Tiwari.
During the probe, it was revealed that Bhai Kashmir Singh was captured on the 6th. Instant in the jurisdiction of police station Khanna. On his being brutally tortured he disclosed that Bhai Baldev Singh and others were to meet near Amloh on the 7th. On this information Mr. B.S. Gill Superintend of police (operation) with a posse of police proceeded to the place. When Bhai Baldev Singh and Manjit Singh saw the police party approaching, they tried to escape on the scooter but the petrol tank was near empty. So, they took another scooter from a passerby but left the scooter because of the approaching police party and tried to escape through the fields. After a run of about 3 kilometers, they came across another police party of Patiala district. Bhai Baldev Singh and his companion were tired of running in the fields and were soon over powered by the Patiala police party which was under the command of an ASI who was immediately after promoted. The captured persons were taken by the Ludhiana police to police station Khanna where they were subjected to severe torture but nothing could come out of them. So they were transferred to the CIA staff at Ludhiana where all kinds of inhuman torture was inflicted upon them. It was here, when orders for their annihilation came from the superiors.
On August 11, the SHO Dehlon Balbir Chand Tiwari and his Dy Sudt police were seen reconnoitering the place near Jhamat Drain at about 7:30 pm. The fake encounter was conducted here during the night to follow.
The people of the vicinity who do not wish to be named, are emphatic that these victims were taken in police vehicles around mid-night through the villages of Jagera and Jhamat and the people heard the shouts of the victims challenging the police party to release them once if they wanted to taste a real encounter. After some time, the villagers heard shots being fired indiscriminately from the direction of Jhamat Drain.
It is also important to mention that sometime back, this Kashmir Singh, a granthi and the only son of village Nanwal had been tortured, humiliated and stripped off all his clothes in the presence of many persons inside the Police station of Khamanon. Being an Amritdhari Sikh, he could not stand this humiliation and being constantly harassed by the police, he left his home. After that the police rounded up his two sisters Mrs. Gurdish and Devinder Kaur and their husbands. The pregnant Devinder Kaur was tortured to the extent that she aborted.
Kashmir Singh, as already mentioned was captured on the 6th August. His sister Gurdish Kaur did send a telegram to the Chief Justice Punjab and Haryana High Court with copies to the governor Punjab and the Chairman of the Punjab Human Rights Organization on August 9 praying intervention. She again sent a petition to Mr. J.F Rebeiro (then advisor to the governor) with a copy to Mr. Sube Singh IPS the Inspector General of Police (complaints) Chandigarh on 10.8.89 giving the facts regarding the arrest of these three victims.
As per the complaint telegrams and press reports these three persons were arrested on the 6th and 7th August by the Ludhiana police who killed Bhai Baldev Singh Ghudani and Bhai Kashmir Singh in cold blood in a fake encounter after four days i.e. on the night between August II and 12 when both of them were in the police custody.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 9, 1990
