Punjab ex-cops, both 70+, get life for fake killings of Army jawan and farmer 32 years ago

MOHALI: Two former Punjab Police cops, both aged over 70, were on Tuesday awarded life sentence for the killing of an Army jawan and a farmer, falsely implicated in a murder case and accused of being hardcore terrorists, in a fake encounter in 1992.

A CBI court convicted the two cops - former SHO of Majitha police station Gurbhinder Singh and former ASI Parshotam Singh - under IPC section 302, read with sections 120-B and 218, Friday.

Baldev Singh alias Deba and Lakhwinder Singh alias Lakha were picked up by police in connection with the murder of then Punjab cabinet minister Gurmej Singh's son on July 23, 1992, and killed in a staged encounter near Sansara village on Sept 13, 1992.

Advocate Sarabjit Verka, who represented the victims' families, said police had at the time claimed that Deba and Lakha were hardcore terrorists with bounties on their head, and were involved in multiple cases of murder, extortion and dacoity.

The CBI probe established that Deba was a lance naik in Army, and was picked up from his house on Sept 6, 1992, by cops. A few days later, on Sept 12, Lakha was detained from his rented accommodation, along with one Kulwant Singh, in the same case.

The probe concluded that the three men were detained illegally. No logbook entries existed regarding police vehicle movements. While Kulwant was later released, the other two were shot dead.