Disappearance of 4 men: 30 yrs on, Ex-SHO convicted, three others acquitted
The trial of this case remained stalled from 2004 to 2018 as the higher court decided on a bunch of petitions filed by the accused police officers.
In yet another verdict in the disappearance of the accused from police custody, the Mohali CBI court convicted Surinderpal Singh Rubi, then SHO of Goindwal police station, while acquitting three others on Friday.
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Rubi was convicted for the kidnapping and alleged disappearance of four persons, including ex-servicemen Piara Singh (50), his son Harphool Singh (18), electricity department employee Gurdeep Singh (32) and their relative Swaran Singh (65). All four were picked up by the police from their house in Jeobala village in Taran Taran on July 23, 1992, at 9 pm.
The court gave the benefit of doubt to then DSP Bhupinderjit Singh, who retired as an SSP, then SHO Verowal police station Ram Nath and ASI Nazar Singh. ASI Teg Bahadur died during the trial.
The verdict was pronounced by Rakesh Gupta, special judge CBI court, which held Rubi guilty under Sections 364 and 342 of the IPC. The quantum of the sentence will be pronounced on April 5.
The case
Advocate Sarabjit Singh Verka, Pushpinder Singh Natt and Jagjit Singh Bajwa, representing the victims, said Gurdeep managed to send rooka (a legal term for a message) from police custody that they have been detained at Verowal police post. Following the information, the PSEB union met Khubi Ram, then PSO to former CM Capt Amarinder Sigh, who was then SP (operation) Tarn Taran. Khubi Ram issued written directions to DSP, Goindwal, to release these persons. In 1996, Jagir Kaur, wife of Piara Singh, filed a petition before Punjab and Haryana high court for the production of her husband and others. In 1999, the HC ordered a CBI inquiry into the matter.
Advocate Tejinder Pal Singh, the counsel for Ram Nath, said in pursuance of HC orders, CBI registered the FIR against Bhupinderjit Singh, Surinderpal, Teg Bahadur, and other unknown police officials in February 2000. After the investigation, CBI presented a chargesheet in February 2002 against Bhupinderjit, Surinderpal, Teg Bahadur, Nazar Singh and Ram Nath.
The trial of this case remained stalled from 2004 to 2018 as the higher court decided on a bunch of petitions filed by the accused police officers. CBI had listed 67 witnesses in this case, but statements of only 38 witnesses could be recorded, as some of them died during the prolonged trial.
Verdict after 30 years
Sitting outside the court, the duo of Jagir Kaur (82) and Harjeet Kaur (62), wife of Gurdeep Singh, were gearing up for another legal battle.
“We are the victims of the dark days of militancy. It has been 30 years since four of our family members, including my husband, were picked up by police. No one came to help us. Those who played politics and led to the death of innocents are comfortably sitting abroad, while the houses of the poor like us were ruined,” Harjeet lamented. She said that the electricity department did not issue a salary or pension as the whereabouts of Gurdeep Singh are not known.
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“Our fight is less for justice but to know what happened to these four men,” she added. Jasbir Singh, the grandson of Swarn Singh, said they will challenge the verdict in HC.
