Chandigarh, June 21, 2019 (Yes Punjab News)
Sukhpal Singh Khaira President of Punjab Ekta Party (PEP) today strongly condemned Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and DGP Dinkar Gupta for granting pardon to four policemen sentenced to life imprisonment by CBI court in Patiala and described their act as mockery of judicial system and murder of constitution.
Khaira said that three of the four policemen pardoned by the Governor were from Uttar Pradesh and one from Punjab Police. The Governor ordered their release from jail on the recommendations of Capt Amarinder Singh and DGP Dinak Gupta.
He said that the Governor, CM and DGP had committed a serious crime against humanity and defeated the purpose of holding long trial of policemen in court of law. He said that it amounted to backstabbing the family of victim Harjit Singh a resident of Saharan Majra village in Ludhiana district who was kidnapped and shot dead in fake encounter in 1993.
While demanding immediate reversal of the order of Governor, Khaira said that they would move a Public Interest litigation in Punjab and Haryana High Court against the illegal order of Governor who as an appointee of President of India has misused his powers.
He said that the government kept the whole exercise top secret and even released the convicted policemen from jail quietly after four and half years of sentence. Such a decision couldn’t be without high level political influence. Capt Amarinder Singh and DGP must explain urgency to recommend pardon to convicted policemen, he added.
Khaira said that constitution has given some powers to the Governor to grant pardon to convicts in rarest of rare cases where prisoner is facing life threatening disease or severe family sufferings. But the Governor has no right to pardon the murderers who took life of an innocent youth to secure out of turn promotion as mentioned by prosecution in the CBI court.
He demanded to recall the order and removal of Governor from his post. He said that Governor and CM had no mercy on 19 political prisoners of Punjab detained in jails even after completing their jail terms. He quoted case of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar who completed life term and lost mental balance but Governor has no concern of his sufferings.
PEP president said that Harjit Singh was kidnapped by Punjab Police ASI (later promoted as Inspector) Harinder Singh on October 6, 1993 from his village and killed by Uttar Pradesh Police in a fake encounter on October 12, 1993. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered CBI probe in 1996 and CBI court on December 1, 2014 convicted the four policemen and awarded them life imprisonment.
One of the convicts was Ravinder Kumar Singh a SP rank officer of UP Police and others were Inspector Brij Lal Verma Inspector, Onkar Singh constable(both UP Police) and Harinder Singh Inspector Punjab Police. He said that it was also classic case of connivance of Punjab and UP police in eliminating Sikh youth.
He said that when police failed to register a case, the father of the victim approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court which ordered a CBI probe. He said that Mohinder Singh a poor farmer who lost everything in judicial battle against ‘encounter specialists’ was not even contacted before giving pardon to killers of his son.
Khaira said that he would take along other political parties to launch an agitation against pardon granted to convicted policemen and force the Governor to cancel his orders at administrative level or after judicial scrutiny.
