Court Sentences 2 Cops in Extrajudicial Killing Case, Acquits 2 over SFJ Posters

On 4 Feb, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (SAS Nagar) sentenced two former Panjab police officers for their roles in the extrajudicial killings of two men in a fake encounter in September 1992. CBI judge Rakesh Kumar Gupta awarded the guilty life imprisonment and imposed a fine of USD 2.2K on former Station House Officer Gurbhinder Singh and former assistant sub-inspector Parshotam Singh posted at Majitha in Amritsar district. The police officers had picked up Baldev Singh Deba, an Army soldier who was home on leave from village Baserke Bhaini and Lakhwinder Singh Lakha Ford from village Sultanwind along with Kulwant Singh from Preet Nagar, Amritsar. While Kulwant was later released, Deba and Ford were killed. The CBI found that the officers had falsely implicated Deba and Ford in the murder of the minister’s son Harbhajan Singh, son of Gurmej Singh, the then Cabinet minister in the Beant Singh-led Punjab government. Meanwhile, another SAS Nagar court acquitted Jammu and Kashmir resident Harpuneet Singh and Sohana resident Gurpreet Singh of conspiring to put up banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) posters near CGC Landran College, district Rupnagar in 2017, citing a lack of evidence to prove their complicity. Meanwhile, the Union government has extended its ban on the Gurpatwant Singh Pannun-led SFJ, branding it an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and accusing it of inciting various minority communities—Sikhs, Muslims, Tamils, and Christians—to break away from India. SFJ’s first ban in 2019 was prolonged five more years in July 2024. Officials emphasized vigilance is necessary, given SFJ’s alleged track record of utilizing online platforms, and calls for sabotage, however no such threat has been carried out to date (read more).