CBI court holds two ex-Punjab Police officers guilty of murder

The court of Rakesh Kumar, the Special Judge, CBI, held Kishan Singh and Tarsem Lal guilty under sections 302 (murder) read with 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 201 (destruction of evidence) and 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The third accused, Rajinder Singh, died during the trial of the case.

The incident dates back to September 1992 when a team of Mehta police station in Amritsar district brought three persons — Sahib Singh, Dalbir Singh and Balwinder Singh — to the police station and then claimed that all three died in cross-firing while the accused were being taken for the recovery of weapons on September 13, 1992. Police also claimed that some militants had attacked the police party to free the three accused from their custody.

The family of Sahib Singh, however, did not buy the police theory and decided to approach the higher court.

Sahib Singh’s father Kahan Singh then moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, following which the CBI registered an FIR on February 28, 1997, against the then SHO of Mehta police station, Inspector Rajinder Singh, the then additional SHO of Mehta police station, Inspector Kishan Singh, and Sub-Inspector Tarsem Lal.

The CBI filed the charge-sheet against the three officers on February 1, 1999, and all the evidence was recorded by 2005. The main accused in the case, Rajinder Singh, died during trial.

Sahib Singh’s father Kahan Singh and brother Satraj Singh too died during the trial.