SAS Nagar: The court of special CBI judge delivered a historic verdict in the 1992 case of two youths being abducted, killed in a fake police encounter, and cremated of their bodies as unidentified. The then SHO of City Tarn Taran and policemen were found guilty in this case. The court sentenced Gurbachan Singh, the then in-charge of Police Station City, to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh under Section 302. Apart from this, he was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and Rs 50,000 fine under Section 364, 2 years imprisonment and Rs 25,000 fine under Section 343, and 2 years imprisonment and Rs 25,000 fine under Section 218.
The second accused ASI Resham Singh was also sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 302 and a fine of Rs 2 lakh, and 2 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25 thousand under Section 120B and 218. The third accused, policeman Hans Raj, was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh under Section 302, and 2 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000 under Sections 120B and 218.
During the hearing of this case, the fourth accused policeman Arjun Singh died in December 2021, after which the proceedings against him were dropped.
Justice after 32 years
According to the charge sheet of the CBI court, on November 18, 1992, the police under the leadership of SHO Gurbachan Singh kidnapped Jagdeep Singh alias Makkhan from his house. Before the kidnapping, Makhan’s mother-in-law Savinder Kaur was killed in police firing. Similarly, on 21 November 1992, Gurnam Singh alias Pali was also kidnapped from his house.
Both these youths were killed on 30 November 1992 by Gurbachan Singh and his team in a fake police encounter and their bodies were cremated by declaring them unidentified.
The case dragged on in court for 32 years, and the culprits were eventually convicted. This decision is being seen as an example of justice for the people affected by the false police encounter.
