1993 Tarn Taran fake encounter: Special CBI court in Mohali convicts 5 retired Punjab Police officials for killing 7 youths
PTC Web Desk: In a long-delayed but landmark verdict, the Special CBI Court in Mohali has convicted five retired Punjab Police officers , including a former SSP and DSP, in the 1993 Tarn Taran fake encounter case, where seven youths were killed in two separate staged police encounters. The verdict has been welcomed by the families of the victims, who expressed satisfaction after decades-long legal battle. The court has scheduled the sentencing for Monday, August 5.
The court convicted Bhupinderjit Singh, retired SSP, Suba Singh, retired Inspector, Davinder Singh, retired DSP, Raghubir Singh, retired inspector and Gulbarg Singh, retired officer guilty under IPC Sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy). Following the conviction, all five have been taken into custody.
The case: 7 youths killed in custody
According to defense lawyers, the case dates back to 1993, when seven youths were picked up from their homes by the police, illegally detained, tortured, and later shown to have been killed in two staged encounters registered at Sarhali and Verowal police stations in Tarn Taran district.
Among the victims were four Special Police Officers (SPOs) who were working with the Punjab Government. The police falsely branded them as terrorists before killing them in the staged encounters.
The police narrative claimed that in one incident, the police were allegedly taking a suspect, Mangal Singh, for recovery when his aides ambushed the police party. In retaliation, three persons were shot dead. In another version, the police said they had set up a checkpoint (naka), when a group refused to stop, leading to a shootout in which three more persons were killed. However, investigations later revealed that these were fabricated stories and the victims were already in illegal police custody.
On the directives of the Supreme Court, the case was handed over to the CBI. The agency filed a chargesheet against 10 police officials, but during the trial, five of them passed away, leaving only five to face conviction.
Families of the victims revealed that they were never handed the bodies, nor were they informed officially about the deaths. They weren’t even given the ashes for last rites, and religious ceremonies at their homes were reportedly not permitted by the police.
- PTC NEWS
