Punjab Police Officer Admits Killing 83 In Fake Encounters

[Jonny101]

Still nothing from our Jathedhars, Sants, Nihangs , SGPC and other large organisations. Its a shame they cover up with the Government

Veerji, when pointing a finger towards others, first look at the 3 fingers pointing towards ourselves. What are we doing other than blaming others for not doing anything. All Sikhs do today are complain and blame others. This type of thinking is not productive nor required. We need a proactive mindset. Daswand needs to be sent towards Shaheed Pariwars, Parchar of Sikhi(like in MP, Sikligars). Educate our relatives, friends about Sikhi, 84

[lsingh]

Its not pointing fingers. We as Sikhs as a whole must fight against injustice as a nation as we did at the times of the Gurus and establishment of the Sikh raj. Many are doing excellent work to highlight the Genocide of 250,000 Sikhs, but we must ask ourselves a serious question, why is it only a small number of dedicated individuals who are doing this? It is our duty to ask the Sikh organisations set up to defend Sikh rights why are they not performing their functions today when they did this in the past. Struggles against the Mughals , Afghans and British and the Indian rule ( Akalis during the Punjabi Suba and in the 80's Sant ji's time) have originated from the Akal Takht. All Sikh organisations took part in these struggles and were very vocal.

It is our duty to make sure that our institutions are rescued and they return to getting justice for the Sikhs and in which we can all take part. If they did this there would enquiries , convictions and justice very quickly. At the moment a few of us work hard but the Indian and foreign Govt say, your own religious and political leaders are quiet happy with the way things are. But say that to people who have lost a mother a father , a son or daughter that we should stay quiet . I know many are affiliated to organisations that are not doing much to get justice and its uncomfortable when people ask questions, but its time to come off the fence for the victims sake.

[S1ngh]

Ground reality is different then what is posted or suggested here by members here. Veerji, Akali leaders or jathedars of 80's = 100% actual backstabbers and partially responsible for events that led to army attack on our gurughars.

[lsingh]

More victims are coming out with information about attrocities of the Police.

Times of India

'Baghel was brought from Jamshedpur, crushed under police vehicle'

The writer has posted comments on this articleI P SinghI P Singh, TNN | Jul 15, 2013, 05.03 AM IST

JALANDHAR: Even as Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had earlier refused to order any probe into the claims made by SI Surjit Singh that he killed 83 persons in fake encounters, at least in one case, it has come out that even Badal had himself expressed apprehension that a man in police custody could be killed.

In the list of 83 persons, who Surjit has claimed were killed in cold blood, name of Baghel Singh of village Dehriwal, district Amritsar, also figures about whom he had claimed that he was killed by crushing under a bullet proof vehicle of police repeatedly after being brought from Tata Nagar.

Now Baghel Singh's family has come out narrating the events prior to his elimination by police.

"Surjit has rightly disclosed that Baghel was brought from Tata Nagar. We had gone there to escape the police wrath after my 19-year-old son and a nephew were killed by the police in fake encounters," Harbhajan Singh, elder brother of Baghel Singh, told TOI here on Sunday, who had come to attend a meeting of families of those killed in fake encounters in Punjab.

"Our father Bahadar Singh was district president of Shiromani Akali Dal. When Baghel was brought to Punjab from Jamshedpur on production warrant on January 14, 1992, Badal and other Akali leaders -- including Simranjit Singh Mann and then AISSF president (and now PEDA chairman) Bhai Manjit Singh --had issued a joint statement expressing apprehension that he could be eliminated in fake encounter," Harbhajan Singh said while producing news clipping of prominent Punjabi and English dailies of January 1992.

Baghel was shown dead on January 19 in an accident with a truck while being shifted from one place to another. Badal and other leaders had demanded that he be produced in court and be tried in court if there was anything against him.

"I wrote to the PM, Punjab governor and DGP with same apprehension and my father sent telegrams to them when Baghel was brought to Punjab," he recalled while producing a copy of letter to PM along with a copy of the surety bond submitted by Punjab Police while taking Baghel on production warrant from a court in Jamshedpur.

"Our sister tried to pursue Baghel's whereabouts when he was brought here and she came to know that he had been killed and cremated at Durgiana Mandir cremation ground. The caretaker at the cremation ground told us that Baghel's body was badly mutilated," he said.

Baghel's only son Hardepinder Singh, who was three-year-old when his father was killed, recalled that even after his father was killed, their family was chased to Indore where they tried to settle after leaving Punjab.

"I remember I was five when our family had to run away from our home in Indore as Punjab cops came there to pounce upon us," he recalled. The family returned to Punjab in last week of May this year after spending two decades in Indore.

"Now, we will pursue the legal battle in HC to seek justice when Surjit has corroborated that it was a murder by the police," said Harbhajan and Hardepinder.

[lsingh]

JALANDHAR: Even as the controversy over the Ishrat Jahan case rages on, the demand for families of those eliminated in fake encounters in Punjab during militancy days has resurfaced, especially after a cop recently made the 'revelation' that he had killed 83 persons in cold blood.

Punjab Police sub-inspector Surjit Singh had made this claim in a petition submitted to the Punjab and Haryana high court while seeking security. A group of human rights activists on Sunday announced in Jalandhar that a petition would be filed in the Supreme Court to seek protection for Surjit Singh and also to demand CBI probe into fake encounters.

As the families of those eliminated have also started coming forward, the activists have announced that the victim families would file individual petitions in the high court. Rights bodies including Punjab Human Rights Organization, Khalra Mission Committee and prominent activists held a meeting here in which the affected families also participated.

The common refrain of the affected families and activists was that if fake encounters could be investigated in Gujarat, then why should there be silence in Punjab on the issue and why the justice should not be done, that too when evidence is coming out from within the state police.

"Skeletons will tumble out if Surjit Singh's disclosures are investigated. A policeman is claiming that he killed 83 persons in cold blood after taking them into custody and the state is refusing to investigate. It's a serious issue. A petition will be filed in the SC to seek protection for Singh and a thorough probe into these fake encounters," said PHRO vice-president Kirpal Singh Randhawa.

Meanwhile, Punjab and Haryana high court advocate Amar Singh Chahal said that petitions would be filed by families of those eliminated by Surjit Singh in fake encounters. "A judicial enquiry should be ordered to investigate fake encounters in Punjab. All political parties are silent on the issue even as Congress has been going all out to corner Narendra Modi and BJP on the issue of fake encounters in Gujarat," Chahal said.

Meanwhile, Kashmir Kaur of Sakhira village in Taran Taran, who attended the meeting, said that her 18-year-old son Pargat Singh was picked up by police from their house on December 12, 1991 and then eliminated. "Even his body was not given to us, nor were we informed about his death. Till this day police have not informed us anything," she said.

The families which gathered here narrated the circumstances in which their kin were picked up and then they came to know through newspapers or through other sources that they were shown killed in fake encounters. Most of them said that all these encounters in which their kin were shown killed the young men were picked up from their homes or work places and were kept in police custody before being killed.

[lsingh]

3 junior policemen from state pointed fingers on seniors

The writer has posted comments on this articleI P SinghI P Singh, TNN | Jul 16, 2013, 04.21 AM IST

JALANDHAR: Nearly two decades after terrorism was curbed in Punjab, shocking revelations about killings of innocent youths by three junior-level policemen have pointed fingers towards their seniors for their alleged role in the fake encounters.

It started with special police officer (SPO) Kuldeep Singh Bachre whose evidence proved crucial not only in bringing out the gory details of elimination of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, which attracted attention of international human rights bodies, but also resulted in conviction of five police officials in the case including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP). Bachre had even named former director general of police (DGP) K P S Gill in the case. He died in 2011.

Khalra had no case against him but was picked up and eliminated by the police after he gathered evidence about forced disappearances and around 2,000 persons being cremated by police while declaring their bodies unidentified.

Petition of former Punjab constable Satwant Singh Manak is pending in the Punjab and Haryana high court in which he had claimed that he gave accounts of at least 10 fake encounters.

In the backdrop of recent claims by suspended sub-inspector (SI) Surjit Singh that he killed 40 persons in fake encounters, Manak told that had filed a petition in the HC in 1994 seeking a probe in these 10 fake encounters and compensation for the kin of the deceased.

It was only in April 2008 that Justice Ranjit Singh gave ordered a CBI enquiry. The registry of the high court also come under the scanner and Justice Ranjit Singh had asked the registry to explain why the case was not listed for hearing for three years since 2005.

[isingh1699]

L. Singh Ji thanks for all your informative posts on this thread. You can be a brilliant media contact in the West for Ensaaf organisation + other human rights charities if u have or can make any formal links with them to spread the word.

[lsingh]

isingh1699 thanks for your kind words, it is important to spread the word on this issues as much as possible. Its the biggest holocaust to have faced the Sikh nation in the past 200 years and we must get justice. Many are happy to talk about the atrocities of Mughals and Afghans but won't mention what has happened recently and even happening now. We all know that Indian Political parties and Govt machinery were involved together with their proxies in the Sikh community either directly or indirectly. Hence the hesitation we see now to come out and support the conviction of the murderers from Sikh organisations and religious figures. However the Shaheeds will be victorious.

Ottawa, Canada (July 16, 2013): The World Sikh Organization of Canada has raised the issue of threats to sub inspector Surjit Singh with Canadian Parliamentarians and asked that they do all they can to impress upon Indian authorities to provide him with the necessary protection so that he can freely tell his story.

Earlier this month, Surjit Singh revealed that after joining the Punjab Police in 1989, he personally orchestrated the killings of 83 Sikh youth in fake encounters on the orders of his superior officers. He has also provided details on brutal torture and other abuses that were perpetrated by the Punjab Police in the late 80s and early 90s.

Human rights bodies including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have long held that the Punjab Police and security forces in India have engaged in torture, extrajudicial executions and ‘disappearances’ of suspects.

Mr. Singh has said that he was summoned by senior officers of the Punjab Police who threatened him with a fate similar to Jaswant Singh Khalra. Jaswant Singh Khalra was a human rights activist who visited Canada in 1995 on the invitation of the WSO and revealed that based on the evidence he had collected, approximately 25,000 Sikh youth had been killed by security forces in Punjab and illegally cremated. Upon his return from Canada, Jaswant Singh Khalra was himself kidnapped and murdered by Punjab Police officers. His body was never found.

Subsequent to his revelations, Surjit Singh has been suspended from his position. He has told the media that he has been receiving harassing phone calls and his home in Amritsar has been surrounded by the Punjab Police. Surjit Singh is currently in hiding. There is a serious concern that Surjit Singh may be harmed by police officers who don’t want him to make further revelations that would also impugn them.

Since Surjit Singh’s revelations, families who saw their loved ones killed in fake encounters have begun to step forward to tell their stories as well as some former Punjab Police officers who have knowledge of the extrajudicial killings that took place.

WSO President Prem Singh Vinning said, “we have been in touch with Canadian parliamentarians and informed them of this situation. It is essential that Surjit Singh be provided protection and he be able to freely tell his story. If he comes to harm, other individuals who are stepping forward to talk about human rights abuses will also be intimidated into silence.”

[lsingh]

OTTAWA, CANADA – New Democrats are expressing concern over the safety of Punjab Police sub inspector Surjit Singh following allegations of police participation in forced disappearances in the Punjab. Surjit Singh recently revealed that as a member of the Punjab Police, he participated in the murders of 83 Sikh youth on the orders of his superiors. Mr. Singh made further allegations about the use of torture by the Punjab Police in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

“The allegations brought forth by Surjit Singh are horrifying and tell a shocking tale of police abuse,” said Human Rights Critic Wayne Marston (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek.) “New Democrats have resolved to honour the work of the late human rights defender Jaswant Singh Khalra, who called for a full rendering of accounts in the cases of disappearances of Sikhs in the Punjab. A full investigation of the allegations made by Mr. Singh and others is very important for that process.”

In April, New Democrats passed a resolution at the Federal NDP policy convention to recognize Jaswant Singh Khalra as an important defender of human rights and in his memory, recommit to the pursuit of justice and transparency characterized by the NDP's shared values of truth, justice and respect of human rights.

Since making these allegations, Mr. Singh has been suspended from his position and is reportedly in hiding over concerns of personal well being and safety. New Democrat members have received correspondence from Canadians expressing concern regarding the protection of Surjit Singh and the importance of a proper investigation into his allegations.

“We urge the Conservatives to take advantage of our longstanding and positive relationship with India to express concern over the safety of Surjit Singh,” said Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre). “Jaswant Singh Khalra’s Canadian connection should not be forgotten. Our government must remain committed to truth-seeking, healing and reconciliation”.

New Democrats believe a full-rendering of accounts is important and that Mr. Singh’s story should be freely told to investigators and the courts, so that justice can be pursued.

While both the Conservatives and Liberals have contributed to the degradation of Canada’s reputation as a promoter of peace and social justice, New Democrats remain dedicated to the protection of democracy and human rights in all corners of the world.

[www.SantRanjitSinghJi.com]

An ‘must watch’ clip:

.

BREAKING NEWS: FAKE ENCOUNTERS OF INNOCENT SIKH YOUTH IN THE EARLY 1990’S ADMITTED BY PUNJAB POLICE OFFICER SURJIT SINGH

**SANT DHADRIANWALE SPEAK-UP FIRST & FEARLESSLY QUESTION PUNJAB POLITICS**

Sikhan Nu Insaaf Kado Milega?

16th July 2013 – Speaking within a gathering of thousands of Sikhs during the 16th July 2013 Sangrand Diwaan at Gurdwara Parmeshar Dwar Sahib ...(Patiala, Punjab), Sant Baba Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale have spoken against the present politics and questioned the silence of political leaders in regards to the recent confession made by Punjab Police Officer Surjit Singh.

This is perhaps the most open and truthful Parchar done by any Parcharak in the current dangerous times when on the whole, Parcharaks have been forced to maintain silence as a result of pressure from anti-Panthic organisations.

Surjit Singh of the Punjab Police has of late made a public statement within the media admitting how he was involved in the mass murder of innocent Sikh youths across Punjab during the early 1990’s in fake Police encounters. Sant Dhadrianwale explain how this one officer alone has admitted killing 83 innocent Singh’s in fake encounters, how he has now openly declared the way in which he used to receive orders to murder by his superiors, how he used to fulfil those orders and how he was promoted for carrying out the inhumane murderous acts. Surjit Singh has told the world, openly, how after only a few murders he was promoted within the ranks.

Sant Dhadrianwale go on to question the current Government, who is supposed to be known as the “Panthic Sarkar”, about their silence in this matter. They ask where their statements are now and question why everyone is quiet on this issue? They said in 1997 the current Government was formed on the basis of their resolutions, of which a main one was the promise to look into the innocent murder of Sikh youth by fake encounters and bring to justice those responsible. Sant Dhadrianwale states now is the time when the murderers should be punished but the shocking fact is our leaders have not yet even given a statement on their thoughts about the information released by Surjit Singh, whether it was wrong and bad, whether they will do anything about it etc. Now all are quiet as they have their power seats and places of authority secured.

Sant Dhadrianwale have stated that no matter what any other person says, they will continue to speak the truth. They said they would rather do another 5 years of Parchaar instead of 10 years, or 2 more years instead of 5 more, or more 1 year instead of 2 more, or they would be ready to finish their Parchaar right now instead of 1 more year, but for however long they will do Parchaar, it will be based on truth.