The Tribune – Punjab Youth Congress leader shot dead

P K Jaiswar, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 8. Youth Congress president Sukhraj Singh (30) was shot dead by an Akali sarpanch and his men at Bhagopur in the Patti Assembly constituency of Tarn Taran today.

The incident took place a day after senior Congress leader Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi’s PA was allegedly injured in an attack near Ferozepur by SAD workers.

Sukhraj Singh reportedly received two gunshots in a shootout around 7.30 pm. He was taken to the Patti Civil Hospital where the doctors declared him “brought dead”.

Sukhraj Singh had reportedly gone to the gurdwara at his native village to pay obeisance after filing nomination papers for the Block Samiti poll. As soon as he came out of the gurdwara, Akali sarpanch Sarwan Singh and some unidentified persons opened fire at him. They fled the scene immediately thereafter. Sukhraj was critically injured in the firing.

Senior Congress leader Harminder Singh Gill said political rivalry was the reason behind Sukhraj’s killing.

“This was not a case of personal enmity, but of political rivalry,” Gill said. He alleged the police forcibly took into its possession the firearms of Congress workers last night, while the firearms of the leaders of the ruling party were not taken. Punjab Youth Congress chief Vikramjit Singh Chaudhry said it was yet another example of deteriorating law and order situation in the state under the SAD-BJP regime. Sukhraj
had entered into an argument with some SAD leaders at the time of filing of nomination papers, he said. It was a preplanned murder, he alleged.

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The Tribune – ‘Harassed’ over dowry, woman sets herself ablaze

Our Correspondent

Tarn Taran, April 21. Fed up with her in-laws who had been “pressurising” her to get dowry, a 23-year-old woman allegedly tried to commit suicide by setting herself ablaze at the Muradpur locality here.

On April 5, the victim was allegedly beaten up and thrown out of the house. Subsequently, she was putting up in a shanty near her house.

The police has registered a case under various sections of the IPC against four members of the family.

The victim has been admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital in Amritsar where her condition was stated to be critical.

The case against the accused was registered on the victim’s complaint. Assistant Sub-Inspector Amarjit Singh said no arrests had been made so far.

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The Tribune – Police gears up for farmers’ stir today

Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran , March 17. More jawans of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) have been summoned here in view of the call given by a joint committee of farmers and workers for district-level dharnas outside the offices of Deputy Commissioners throughout the state tomorrow.

Kamaljit Singh Dhillon, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), said the police would not allow any dharna here.

The farmers are protesting against the cases filed against 20 farmers following the death of ASI Kulbir Singh under mysterious circumstances at Jeobala village on March 6.

Ten of the accused farmers, including Sawinder Singh Chutala, general secretary of the Kisan Sangharsh Committee (KSC), have been arrested so far and sent to judicial custody. Most of the other leaders have gone underground.

The District administration has already imposed a ban on holding dharnas and rallies. However, Satnam Singh Pannu, state president of the KSC, Pargat Singh Jamarai of the Jamhoori Kisan Sabha and Datar Singh of the Kirti Kisan Union, in separate statements today, said that they were determined to hold a dharna here despite the restrictions imposed by the administration.

Tejinderpal Singh of the KSC said they would put facts regarding the death of the ASI before the public at the dharnas tomorrow. He claimed the policeman had died of heart failure and the farmers could not be held responsible for his death.

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The Tribune – ASI murder: Key farmer leader held

Tribune News Service

Tarn Taran, March 15. The police today arrested Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, general secretary Sawinder Singh Chutala in connection with the mysterious death of ASI Kulbir Singh at Jeobala village, near here, on March 6.

Chutala was produced in a local court, which remanded him in 14-day judicial custody.

Tarn Taran SSP KS Dhillon said the farmer leader had conspired to kill the police officer. The arrest comes ahead of the Kisan Sangharsh Committee’s proposed dharna at the district headquarters over the ASI’s death and other issues on March 18.

The move has drawn flak from various farmer organizations, which are demanding withdrawal of cases against farmer leaders. Certain farmer leaders associated with the committee have already been arrested in the case. The number of those arrested in this case has now gone up to 11.

Committee president Satnam Singh Pannu said the state government was apparently baffled by the farmer agitation and conducting raids to arrest their leaders. Over 2,500 farmers were already lodged in jails, he added.

He said the government would have to face “serious consequences” if it linked Chutala’s arrest with the ASI case.

They would go ahead with the dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office on March 18, he added.

The ASI was found dead after a raid on a village farmhouse in Tarn Taran.

The police had initially booked the farmers under Section 304 of the IPC. But after the interrogation of the accused, it converted the FIR into Section 302 of the IPC.

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The Tribune – Tarn Taran Assault Case; Supreme Court seeks reports from DGP, SP; Notices to Centre, states on police reforms

R Sedhuraman, Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, March 11. The Supreme Court today directed Punjab’s Director-General of Police (DGP) and the Tarn Taran district police chief to file their reports within a week on policemen thrashing a woman on March 4 when she approached them to lodge a complaint of sexual harassment against truck/taxi drivers.

“Was that lady a terrorist to be beaten up on the highway,” a Bench comprising GS Singhvi and Joseph Kurian asked Additional Advocate-General Ajay Bansal. Bansal said the state government had ordered a magisterial inquiry and the report would be available in 21 days. The Bench said if the government had been serious on the issue, it would have taken stern steps within 24 hours, thereby sending out a warning to other policemen.

The Bench was also not convinced by the fact that two of the policemen involved in beating up the 22-year-old woman and her father had been suspended. “After three months, they will be reinstated and rewarded for bravery,” the Bench remarked. There was a need for fixing responsibility at a higher level, it said.

Bansal said those who had witnessed the incident were not coming forward to give evidence. At this, the Bench wanted to know as to whether he was wearing coloured glasses. “The incident was witnessed by millions of people on the television. What evidence is required to be given?”

The Bench also said the state government was, perhaps, ordering magisterial inquiries in order to give a burial to such incidents. It observed the Punjab Police had acquired a “particular mindset” while fighting terrorism in the 1980s and this was still continuing with it.

Attorney General GE Vahanvati, who has been asked by the Bench to assist the court on constitutional issues involved in the incident, said such incidents had serious ramifications as, henceforth, people would be scared to approach the police for lodging complaints against perpetrators of crime.

Describing the victim as a “braveheart,” the Bench said she did a wise thing by running away from the lathi-wielding policemen.

The SC has taken suo motu notice of the Tarn Taran incident along with a similar police action against contractual teachers demonstrating outside the state assembly at Patna on March 5. Pointing out that both the Tarn Taran and Patna incidents undermined people’s right to life, liberty and dignity, the Bench said these were not isolated happenings. “Such incidents are frequently happening in different parts of the country,” the SC remarked.

The Bench enlarged the scope of the suo motu PIL and issued notices to the Centre and all the states and union territories, seeking details on the implementation of apex court guidelines on police reforms issued in a case filed by former Uttar Pradesh DGP Prakash Singh.

The Bench will hear the case again on April 1.

‘Was that lady a terrorist to be beaten up on the highway…if the state government had been serious on the issue, it would have taken stern steps within 24 hours, thereby sending out a warning to other policemen’ (Supreme Court Bench).

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The Tribune – Tension mounts between police, farmers; Five more arrested for ASI’s death

Our Correspondent

Tarn Taran , March 10. The police has arrested five more farmers for their alleged involvement in the killing of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Kulbir Singh.

The arrested farmers, including Jassa Singh, Daler Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Balkar Singh, were produced before a magistrate who sent them to one-day police remand.

The ASI had died under mysterious circumstances five days ago at Jeobala village in the district where he had gone to raid a farmhouse and make pre-emptive arrests ahead of the ‘Rail Roko’ agitation by farmers.

The police had yesterday claimed that the ASI was allegedly beaten to death by farmers and his body disposed of at some distance of the raid site. Initially, it was presumed that the police officer had died of cardiac arrest.

The police also added Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code in the case. Earlier, the case was registered under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

On the other hand, various farmer organisations have condemned the Punjab Police’s alleged implication of the community members in the case. In a statement, Kisan Sangharsh Committee state president Satnam Singh Pannu and general secretary Sawinder Singh Chutala accused the police of adopting a repressive attitude. They said the farmers would intensify their agitation if the police failed to release the “innocent” farmers and withdraw the case against them.

The committee activists also burnt an effigy of the state government at various places in the district on the first day of their two-day agitation.

The farmer body said the members of 17 farmer-worker organisations, which had given the call for ‘Rail Roko’, would start an indefinite protest in front of the offices of deputy commissioners in the state from March 18.

Stir from March 18

Members of 17 farmer-worker organisations, which had given the call for ‘Rail Roko’, would start an indefinite protest in front of the offices of deputy commissioners in the state from March 18. They have been demanding immediate release of the farmers arrested in connection with the ASI death case.

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The Tribune – ASI was beaten to death, claims police

Tribune News Service

Tarn Taran, March 9. Following questioning of five accused in the mysterious death of ASI Kulbir Singh, the police today registered a case of murder against nine farmer leaders. They were earlier booked under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) K S Dhillon said: “An interrogation of the accused revealed that the ASI was beaten up by them. We have rounded up more people in the case. They will be arrested if found guilty”.

ASI Kulbir Singh had gone to Geobala village along with a police party to arrest farmer union activists on March 5 in a bid to foil their “rail rook” agitation.

After the raid, the body of Kulbir Singh was found near a drain under mysterious circumstances.

Meanwhile, the five accused arrested in the case were sent to another two-day police remand by a local court in Patti today.

However, protesting farmer leaders, including Lakhwinder Singh Palasaur and Sawaran Singh Walipur, reiterated that the ASI had died of natural causes and that the farmers were innocent.

Meanwhile, various farmer bodies burnt the effigy of the state government to lodge their protest against the case that was registered against the farmers. They threatened to intensify their agitation if the case wasn’t withdrawn immediately.

The police meanwhile continued its efforts to trace the remaining accused. It had booked a number of farmer leaders and some unidentified persons in the case.

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The Tribune – ASI found dead hours after raid on farmhouse; Was leading a team to arrest farmer leaders ahead of ‘Rail Roko’ agitation in Tarn Taran, Family stages protest

Perneet Singh & Gurbax Puri, Tribune News Service

Tarn Taran, March 6. Mystery shrouds the death of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Kulbir Singh whose body was found on the outskirts of Jeobala village near here a few hours after a police party led by him conducted raid at a farmhouse to make preventive arrests of farmer leaders ahead of their ‘Rail Roko’ agitation today.

The police officer was posted at Manochahal post and is survived by his wife, son and daughter. While there are reports that the ASI may have died of cardiac arrest, the police said it will wait for the postmortem report before commenting on the exact cause of death. The police, however, said there were no external injuries on the body.

But, the ASI’s family members, including his wife, daughter and sister, along with the residents of his native Bundala village staged a dharna in the heart of the town. They demanded that the farmers who allegedly created a situation that led to the ASI’s death be booked for murder. They resorted to sloganeering against the state government and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal.

Deputy Inspector General Paramraj Singh Umranangal visited the dharna site on the main road and tried to pacify the family and the villagers.

Umranangal said the family was seeking action under Section 302 (murder).

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Dinkar Gupta also reached the spot and persuaded the protesters to lift the dharna, promising early necessary action. There are reports that the police has detained a few persons, though it was not officially confirmed.

Talking to The Tribune at the local Civil Hospital, the ASI’s brothers Sukhwinder Singh and Tarsem Singh demanded that they should be told as to how their brother lost his life. Alleging that he was killed, the duo raised a question as to where the police party was when their brother died.

On the other hand, farmer organisations have sought a judicial probe into the incident.

Farmer leader Rattan Singh Randhawa said they also wanted the government to bring out truth in the case. “We have sympathy with the ASI’s family, but farmers are not to be blamed for his death,” he said.

Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police KS Dhillon said nine persons had been booked in connection with the ASI’s death under sections 304, 332, 353, 186, 148, 149, and 120-B of the IPC. He said they had been booked by name, though he could not reveal their identities at the moment.

To read more :

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130307/punjab.htm#10

The Tribune – Granthi’s killers arrested after encounter, Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran, April 21. The district police today nabbed two of the three vehicle lifters and robbers who had shot a granthi of the historic Darbar Sahib here.

The suspects were nabbed following a brief encounter at Kakka Kandiala village.

According to the information available, the three suspects tried to flee on seeing the police naka near the village.

The police had to open fire when the trio did not heed to their repeated instructions to stop.

They were identified as Balraj Singh alias Raju of Khara village and Ranjit Singh of Tarn Taran. Their accomplice Baljinder Singh managed to escape.

Granthi Sukhchain Singh (28) of the local Sri Darbar Sahib was shot on April 4 in front of the holy shrine when he stopped the suspects from decamping with the motorcycle of a devotee.

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The Tribune – Young granthi shot dead

P K Jaiswar & Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran, April 4. Stopping thieves from stealing a motorcycle from outside the main entrance of Darbar Sahib here proved fatal for a young granthi of the shrine.

Sukhchain Singh (28) was shot dead by armed thieves who fled, abandoning the motorcycle, after the crime. Sukhchain was rushed to the local Civil Hospital which referred him to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar. He died on the way.

The gurdwara management shut its offices in protest against the incident that occurred at about 6.30 am.

Sukhchain spotted two youths taking away a motorcycle that reportedly belonged to a devotee. Sukhchain got suspicious and walked towards them to make enquires. The youths took out their weapon and shot him in the chest. They fled through the gurdwara’s langar hall.

Manmohanjit Singh, a gurdwara employee, and Mukhtar Singh Randhawa, a devotee, rushed the injured granthi to the local Civil Hospital.

Sewadar Nirvail Singh tried to stop the fleeing youths but in vain. The criminals intercepted a motorcyclist and forced him to drive them towards Amritsar. As they neared Thathi Khara village , 4 km from here, they got down and left in a Zen car waiting for them. Arjun Singh, gurdwara manager, has urged the police to take stringent action against the attackers.

Manminder Singh, Tarn Taran SSP, said the police had registered a case under Sections 302, 511, 379 and 34, IPC, and Sections 25/54and 59 of the Arms Act. Akal Takht Jatheda Gurbachan Singh and SGPC chief Avtar Singh has condemned the incident.

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