Justice After 31 Years: 5 Retired Punjab cops get life imprisonment in Tarn Taran fake encounter case
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, August 4, 2025: In a landmark verdict after a painful 31-year wait, justice has finally been served in one of Punjab’s most infamous and tragic cases — the 1993 Tarn Taran fake encounter. A special CBI court on Monday sentenced five retired Punjab Police officers to life imprisonment for the cold-blooded killing of seven young men in staged encounters.
Those convicted include former SSP Bhupinderjit Singh and former DSP Davinder Singh, along with three retired Inspectors — Suba Singh, Raghubir Singh, and Gulabarg Singh. The court found them guilty of murder and criminal conspiracy. The verdict brought tears to the eyes of families who have spent decades demanding justice.
What Happened in 1993?
The incident took place during Punjab's dark era of militancy. Police officers stationed in Tarn Taran abducted seven youths from their homes, kept them in illegal custody, brutally tortured them, and later killed them in two fabricated encounters.
The False Police Narrative
To cover up the murders, the officers crafted two false stories:
- They claimed that one of the youths, Mangal Singh, was being taken for recovery when his associates attacked the police, leading to the deaths of three in crossfire.
- In the second version, police said that some suspects refused to stop at a checkpoint and were shot dead when they tried to flee.
A CBI probe, ordered by the Supreme Court, revealed that both stories were completely fabricated. The court concluded that the encounters were fake and that the victims were deliberately targeted and executed.
Shockingly, four of the seven killed were working as Special Police Officers (SPOs) with the Punjab Police itself. Yet, they too were branded as terrorists and executed.The families were not even given the bodies of their loved ones and were denied the right to perform last rites.
The court sentenced the following retired officials under IPC Sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy):
- Retired SSP Bhupinderjit Singh
- Retired DSP Davinder Singh
- Retired Inspector Suba Singh
- Retired Inspector Raghubir Singh
- Retired Inspector Gulabarg Singh
Out of the 10 officers originally charged, five died during the course of the trial. The families, who have waited over three decades for justice, expressed satisfaction over this long-awaited judgment.