Ex-SSP & DSP among 5 cops jailed till death in 1993 Tarn Taran fake encounter case

Time of India

14 hours ago

Mohali: A special CBI court on Monday sentenced five former Punjab Police officials — including an SSP and DSP —to be jailed till death for the abduction, torture, and staged killing of seven innocent persons in 1993, three of whom were Special Police Officers (SPOs).
The court said only their age had stopped them from going to the gallows but they deserved no leniency as their conduct was "morally bankrupt and profoundly inhumane". All the convicts are between 66 and 80 years of age, and one is wheelchair-bound.
The verdict was pronounced by special CBI judge Baljinder Singh Sra, who also imposed a fine of Rs 3.5 lakh on each convict, amounting to a total of Rs 17.5 lakh, which will be distributed equally among the kin of the seven victims, said CBI public prosecutor Anmol Narang.
Those convicted include former SSP Bhupinderjit Singh, former DSP Davinder Singh, ex-inspector Suba Singh, and ASIs Gulbarg Singh and Raghbir Singh. They were sentenced under various sections of IPC, including murder, criminal conspiracy, causing disappearance of evidence, and fabricating records.
The convicts had filed mercy pleas, citing old age and health issues, but the court rejected any leniency on those grounds.
In its scathing observations, the court remarked, "There is no doubt regarding the sheer venality and callousness with which the convicts acted, reflecting an utter disregard for human dignity and life. Their conduct was not only unlawful — it was morally bankrupt and profoundly inhumane. However, in view of their advanced age and the prolonged agony endured during the course of the trial, this court refrains from awarding capital punishment.
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Victims' counsel, advocate Sarabjeet Singh Verka, said the judgment comes after a protracted legal battle that spanned over three decades. "Justice has been delayed, but not denied. The families waited 32 years for this day," Verka said, adding that five other co-accused in the case died during the trial.
The case pertains to the killing of seven young men from Rani Willa village in Tarn Taran — SPOs Shinder Singh, Sukhdev Singh and Desa Singh, Balkar Singh alias Kala, Sarabjit Singh alias Saba, Harwinder Singh, and Mangal Singh According to the CBI investigation, the victims were abducted by police teams in June-July 1993 and killed in two fake encounters on July 12 and July 28, 1993.
The court accepted CBI's findings that the killings were not genuine encounters, but planned executions involving abduction, illegal detention, torture, and the eventual staging of deaths to pass them off as militant killings. The investigation revealed that inspector Gurdev Singh, then SHO of Sirhali, led the abduction of four victims on June 27, 1993. The other three were abducted by SHO of Verowal, Suba Singh, in July.
CBI prosecutor Anmol Narang said the prosecution cited 67 witnesses, but 36 died during the trial. Only 28 witnesses could ultimately testify.
Families Expected Death Sentence
Family members of the fake-encounter victims wept upon hearing the verdict. "It's a moment of justice we thought would never come," said one of the relatives outside the courtroom. They expected the death sentence but are satisfied with the verdict.
The widows demanded salary arrears and pension according to their husbands' remuneration and demanded govt jobs on compassionate grounds for their sons. The kin of the victims said that they have not conducted last rites or 'Bhog' of their men killed by Punjab police as their bodies were never found.
Most of the women became widows within two to three years of their marriages.