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NDTV
24-07-2025
- General
- NDTV
They Kept Getting Promises, But No Road. So These Villagers Built One
They kept hearing promises and reassurances and saw no action being taken. But the residents of a small, tribal hamlet deep inside Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district decided they couldn't wait any longer. So they picked up shovels, carried stones and, over the course of just two weeks, built themselves a 4.3-kilometre road without a single rupee from the government. Bedi Fartala is a small village under the Roser panchayat, located in a hilly, remote terrain of Barwani, with a population of just 350. For decades, the villagers, most of whom are tribals, struggled without a road. When it rained, their children couldn't reach their school. Pregnant women and the elderly were carried on makeshift cots across slushy, slippery trails. "We gave applications. We pleaded. Every time a leader came asking for votes, we reminded them," says Dharam Singh, a resident, wiping sweat off his face. "But nothing happened. So we stopped waiting." With the monsoon approaching again, the villagers decided it was now or never. A meeting was held. Every household offered labour - some brought food, some offered tools, and many just came with bare hands and willing hearts. "The main road ends nearly 3 km from our village. After that, we have to walk, even in medical emergencies. Children graze goats instead of going to school because it's too far, too unsafe. We had to act," said Sunil, another villager. And act they did. With incredible coordination, the community led by example. Half the villagers worked in the fields, the rest worked on the road. Women cooked and delivered meals to the workers on site. Elderly men broke rocks, children carried small stones. What they have now, villagers say, is more than just a path - it is a symbol of ownership, of self-respect. "This is not just a road. This is our identity now," said one of the young volunteers, proudly pointing to the freshly carved stretch that winds through the hills. Local MLA Rajan Mandloi admitted that the region suffers from poor infrastructure. "It's not just Bedi Fartala. Many panchayats in the area are disconnected. Plans for road work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme were discussed earlier, but many projects were never implemented. People are helpless," he said.
Hindustan Times
24-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Former Punjab Police SP gets 10-yr RI in 1993 fake encounter case
A CBI court in Mohali sentenced former Punjab Police officer Paramjit Singh, 67, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in a 32-year-old fake encounter case in which two constables were declared militants and killed. The court also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on the convict, who was then the station house officer (SHO) of Beas. Kin show pictures of two constables killed in fake encounter by Majitha police 32 years ago. (HT Photo) Four others— then inspector Dharam Singh, 77, ASI Darbara Singh, 71, and ASI Kashmir Singh, 69 — were acquitted due to lack of evidence. Another accused, ASI Ram Lubhaya, died during the course of the trial in 2002. Delivering the judgment, special CBI Judge Baljinder Singh Sra held that the 1993 case had shocked the state for its brazen misuse of power. As per the CBI investigation, on April 18, 1993, constable Surmukh Singh, a resident of Muchhal village of Baba Bakala, Amritsar, was taken from his home around 6 am by a police party led by inspector Paramjit Singh. Later that day, around 2 pm, another constable, Sukhwinder Singh of Amritsar's Khiala village, was picked up by a team led by SI Ram Lubhaya. Two days later, on April 20, Sukhwinder's parents, Balbir Kaur and Dildar Singh, visited the Beas police station, but were denied access to their son. On April 22, the Majitha Police claimed that two unidentified militants had been killed in an encounter. FIRs were registered under IPC Sections 307/34, Sections 25/54/59 of the Arms Act, and Section 5 of the TADA Act. The bodies were cremated without identification. Shockingly, within a week, SHO Dharam Singh filed an 'untraced report,' claiming the bodies were unidentified and no further investigation was required. However, a subsequent CBI probe established that the 'unknown militants' were, in fact, the two constables picked up days earlier by the Beas Police. The investigation revealed that the encounter was staged and police documents were fabricated to make it appear genuine. CBI public prosecutor Anmol Narang, assisted by advocates Sarabjit Singh Verka, Pushpinder Singh Natt, and Jagjit Singh, represented the complainant families. The accused were represented by advocates KS Nagra and Janpal Singh. The case was among several related to mass cremations of unidentified bodies in Punjab that were handed over to the CBI by the Supreme Court in the 1990s. Following the apex court's directions, a preliminary inquiry was registered by the CBI on December 26, 1995. During the probe, Balbir Kaur testified that her son, Sukhwinder Singh, was taken away by police and never returned. She alleged he had been killed and cremated as 'lawaris' (unclaimed). Charges in the case were formally framed on September 9, 1999. However, the trial saw repeated delays due to stays granted by higher courts from 2001 to 2016 and again from 2016 to 2022, owing to what the victim's counsel termed 'frivolous petitions' filed by the accused. These petitions were ultimately dismissed. Due to the prolonged trial, only 27 witnesses could be examined — several had died in the intervening years, while others allegedly turned hostile under pressure. After more than three decades of legal struggle, the court has finally delivered its verdict. 'Justice has been delayed, but not denied,' said Sarabjit Singh Verka, counsel for the victims' families. 'Despite every attempt by the accused to delay and derail the process, truth has prevailed.'
New Indian Express
22-06-2025
- New Indian Express
Turkish PX5 pistols dropped via drones from Pakistan, turning into 'weapon of choice' for criminals in Punjab
The Amritsar Commissionerate Police dismantled a Pakistan-backed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terror module being operated by UK-based handler Dharam Singh alias Dharma Sandhu with the arrest of a local operative. They also recovered six sophisticated foreign-made pistols from his possession. Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said that the arrested accused has been identified as Onkar Singh alias Nawab, a resident of Jalalusma village in Amritsar. The weapons, smuggled via drones from across the Indo-Pak border, include four 9 mm Glock pistols and two .30 bore PX5 pistols. Yadav said that the foreign-based handler Dharam Singh alias Dharma Sandhu, who has been operating the terror module, is a close associate of Pak-based terrorist Harvinder Singh alias Rinda. Further investigations is underway to establish forward and backward linkages in the case and unearth the broader network, he said. Sharing operation details, Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said. "The accused disclosed during interrogation that the weapons were delivered via drones and were meant for disruptive activities," he added. He said that preliminary investigations revealed the accused was part of a sleeper cell activated by foreign-based handlers to destabilise the state. "The weapons were to be distributed among local operatives to execute targeted killings and terror activities in the State," he said. A case was also registered on June 21 under section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station Maqboolpura in Amritsar. In a separate operation on June 21, the Amritsar Rural Police intercepted a separate consignment from Lopoke village, as Lovepreet Singh alias Love and Balwinder Singh alias Bobby were arrested and one PX5 (.30 bore) pistol, 6.15 kg of heroin and Rs 10,000 in suspected narco-funds were recovered from them. A case was registered at the Lopoke police station. While earlier this month, eight foreign-made weapons, including four PX5 pistols made in Turkey, were recovered on June 5 from Sukhchain Singh of Daoke and Jugraj Singh of Bhakna Kalan by the Amritsar police as the two alleged accused. These weapons were allegedly dropped by a drone sent by a Pakistan-based handler, Noor.
Hindustan Times
22-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Pak-backed BKI terror module busted, one held with 6 pistols
Jun 22, 2025 07:26 AM IST Amritsar commissionerate police on Saturday dismantled a Pakistan-backed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terror module operated by UK-based handler Dharam Singh alias Dharma Sandhu. The weapons, smuggled via drones from across the border include four 9MM Glock pistols and two .30-bore PX5 pistols. (HT) Police have arrested a local operative of the module and recovered six foreign-made pistols from his possession, director general of police Gaurav Yadav said. The arrested accused has been identified as Onkar Singh alias Nawab, a resident of Jalalusma village in Amritsar. The weapons, smuggled via drones from across the border include four 9MM Glock pistols and two .30-bore PX5 pistols. The DGP said foreign-based handler Dharam Singh, who has been operating the terror module, is a close associate of Pak-based terrorist Harvinder Singh alias Rinda. Further investigations are underway to establish forward and backward linkages in this case and unearth the broader network, he said. Sharing operation details, Amritsar commissioner of police (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the arrest followed precise intelligence and coordination. 'The accused disclosed during interrogation that the weapons were delivered via drones and were meant for disruptive activities,' he added. He said preliminary investigations revealed the accused was part of a sleeper cell activated by foreign-based handlers to destabilise the state. 'The weapons were to be distributed among local operatives to execute targeted killings and terror activities in the state. We are working to uncover the entire network and its international linkages,' Bhullar said, adding that further investigations are underway to identify other accomplices and handlers. A case under the Arms Act has been registered at Maqboolpura police station in Amritsar.
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Business Standard
21-06-2025
- Business Standard
Punjab Police busts Pak-linked terror module; one held, six pistols seized
Punjab Police on Saturday said it has dismantled a Pakistan-backed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terror module operated by UK-based handler Dharam Singh alias Dharma Sandhu. Police have arrested a local operative of the module and recovered six foreign-made pistols from his possession, DGP Gaurav Yadav said. The accused has been identified as Onkar Singh alias Nawab, a resident of Jalalusma village in Amritsar district. The seized weapons, smuggled via drones from across the border, include four 9 mm Glock pistols and two .30 bore pistols, the DGP said. Dharam Singh, who operated the terror module, is a close associate of Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh alias Rinda. Further investigation is underway to unearth the broader network of the module, the DGP said. Sharing operation details, Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the arrest followed precise intelligence inputs and coordination. "During interrogation, the accused disclosed that the weapons delivered via drones were meant for disruptive activities," Yadav said. Preliminary investigation revealed that Onkar Singh was part of a sleeper cell activated by foreign-based handlers to destabilise the state. "The weapons were meant to be distributed among local operatives to execute targeted killings and terror activities Punjab. We are working to uncover the entire network and its international linkages," Bhullar said.
