Extra Judicial Killing: After 31 years, CBI Court Jails Panjab Police Officer

On 30 Mar, in a 32-year-old case, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court sentenced recently retired former Superintendent of Police Amarjit Singh to ten years in jail and fined him $1,200 for the abduction of Balwinder Singh of village Jhabal, Tarn Taran. On 4 Oct 1992, Balwinder’s wife Rajwant Kaur and mother Gurbachan Kaur were picked up by a police party headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar and Station Head Officer police station Jhabhal, Amarjit Singh. Later in the day, Balwinder Singh was picked up. Gurbachan was released after four days. Rajwant was released after eight days. After fifteen days, the police disclosed that Balwinder had been taken to Ferozepur. That was the last anybody heard of him. Since the victim went missing, the family claimed that they have not even gotten the death certificate. The CBI chargesheet, under Sections 120-B and 364 of the Indian Penal Code, was filed on 16 Sep 1999 and charges were framed in 2000. The trial was delayed from 2002-2022 through petitions by the accused which were later dismissed. Ashok Kumar died during the trial and proceedings against him were stayed. Nine out of fifteen witnesses also died. Senior advocate Sarabjit Singh Verka had pursued the case. The case has also been referred to the District Legal Service Authority for compensation to the victim's family, including three children. This is one more instance of how the Panjab police has carried out extrajudicial killings and then hacked the system through petitions to avoid punishment (SDW Vol. 1 Issue 15, Story 4).