Retired SP Jailed in Police Killed Police Case, Others Acquitted

On 23 Jul, after a 32-year legal battle, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar sentenced former Station Head Officer (SHO) Beas, retired Superintendent of Police, 68-year-old Paramjit Singh to 10 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of USD 575 on him for abducting and killing two Panjab Police constables in 1993. The court acquitted Inspector Dharam Singh (then SHO of Lopoke), Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Kashmir Singh, and ASI Darbara Singh due to lack of concrete evidence, while Sub-Inspector (SI) Ram Lubhiya (in charge, Butala police post) died during trial. The case dates back to 18 Apr 1993,when Constable Surmukh Singh (Muchhal village, Baba Bakala) and Constable Sukhwinder Singh (Khiala village, Amritsar), both in their early 20s, were picked up by police and illegally detained. Later, the Majitha police claimed they had killed 'two unidentified militants' in an encounter and cremated their bodies as unclaimed. CBI public prosecutor Anmol Narang said, 'Surmukh Singh was picked up by a team led by then SHO Paramjit Singh, while Sukhwinder Singh was picked by SI Ram Lubhiya.' The next day, Sukhwinder’s parents were denied access to meet him at Beas police station. Four days later, the Majitha police under SHO Dharam Singh falsely claimed an encounter and later filed an 'untraced report'. Acting on the Supreme Court’s orders, the CBI began its probe on 26 Dec 1995 and identified the deceased as the two constables. A formal First Information Report was registered on 28 Feb 1997, and a chargesheet was filed in 1999. Victims’ counsel Sarabjit Singh Verka said, 'Despite charges being framed in 1999, the trial was delayed for over two decades due to baseless petitions. Only 27 witnesses were examined. Others died or turned hostile.' Charanjit Singh, son of late Surmukh Singh said, ‘These police officials not only killed my father but also ruined my life. I had been selected for recruitment in the police, but because of the allegations, I was not issued the appointment letter’ (earlier coverage).