Jaswant Khalra killing: Satluj row triggers search for ex-DSP Jaspal Singh who was granted bail in 2023
Jaspal was the most senior of the six police personnel convicted of Khalra's abduction and murder — SIs Amarjit Singh, Satnam Singh, Surinder Pal Singh, Jasbir Singh, and head constable Prithipal Singh.
PTC News Desk: The controversy surrounding the Satluj, based on the abduction and killing of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra has now prompted the Nabha Jail authorities to launch a discreet search for one of the characters portrayed in the movie, former DSP Jaspal Singh, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1995 in the case.
Jaspal, who was incarcerated in Nabha Open jail, was granted bail in 2023. Meanwhile, a verification process has been initiated by Nabha jail authorities to identify the whereabouts of Jaspal Singh. His native place was recorded as Cheema Nagar, Jalandhar, and his then current address as Majhi village of Hoshiarpur district.
Jaspal was the most senior of the six police personnel convicted of Khalra's abduction and murder — SIs Amarjit Singh, Satnam Singh, Surinder Pal Singh, Jasbir Singh, and head constable Prithipal Singh.
The CBI investigation found that after Jaswant Singh Khalra was abducted, he was illegally kept at Jhabal police station, where he was allegedly tortured. Investigators said he was later shot dead, and his body was thrown into a canal near Harike.
It took nearly 10 years for the accused to be convicted. On November 18, 2005, a CBI court in Patiala found former DSP Jaspal Singh and five other police personnel guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court upheld the life sentence in October 2007. Later, on November 4, 2011, the Supreme Court dismissed Jaspal Singh's appeal, confirming his conviction and life sentence. The court described the incident as a "serious threat to the rule of law."
Jaspal Singh applied for premature release in 2017, but the Centre rejected his request. However, in May 2023, he was granted bail by a Patiala court after furnishing a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh. After his release, the case largely faded from public attention until the release of the film Satluj brought it back into the spotlight.