Photo Source: ANI
Fake Encounter of 1992: CBI Court Mohali convicted three Police officials for conspiracy, murder
1992 Police Encounter case held by CBI Court Mohali as fake and convicted three officials for conspiracy, murder, fabrication of record
Babushahi Bureau
Mohali, September 8, 2023: The CBI court of R.K. Gupta decided the fake encounter case in 1992 in which three youths Harjit Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, and Jaspinder Singh were shown as killed.
In this case, the father of the deceased Harjit Singh filed a writ before the Punjab & Haryana High Court alleging that his son Harjit Singh was picked by the police on 29.4.1992 from Thathian Bus Stand near Sathiala of District Amritsar and was kept in Mall Mandi interrogation Centre at Amritsar.
Immediately, the High Court deputed a warrant officer to secure his release from the illegal custody of police and then in December 1992, ordered judicial inquiry from the District & Sessions Judge, Chandigarh which was submitted in the year 1995 and finally vide orders dated 30.5.1997 High Court transferred the investigation of this case to the CBI.
In the year 1998, CBI registered the case and found that Harjit Singh was abducted by Daljit Singh @ Motu, Satbir Singh, and one more person from bus stand Thathian on 29.4.1992 and was killed on 12.5.1992 with two other persons in a fake encounter by a police party headed by SI Dharam Singh the then SHO PS Lopoke and their dead bodies were not handed over to the family and cremated by the police as unclaimed.
In this case, CBI had presented the chargesheet U/s 364,120-B, 302, and 218 of IPC against 9 Punjab police officials namely Inspector Dharam Singh, SI Ram Lubhiya, HC Satbir Singh, Daljit Singh @ Motu, Inspector Harbhajan Ram, ASI Surinder Singh, ASI Gurdev Singh, SI Amrik Singh and ASI Bhupinder Singh but out of them 5 accused namely Harbhajan Ram, Ram Lubhiya, Satbir Singh, Daljit Singh and Amrik Singh had died during the trial and one accused namely Bhupinder Singh declared as proclaim offender by the Ld. court.
In this case, CBI had cited 55 witnesses but due to delay in trial statements, only 27 witnesses were recorded as many of the witnesses had died during trial.
It is also pertinent to mention that the statement of 1st witness was recorded in the year 2016 i.e. after 24 years of occurrence and the case was decided after more than 31 years of occurrence.
Ashok Bagoria public prosecutor for the CBI along with Sarabjit Singh Verka, Jagjit Singh Bajwa and PS Natt Advocates appeared in this case on behalf of complainants/victims.