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Indian Express
26-07-2025
- Indian Express
‘I was denied a job, my father was labelled a terrorist: Son of Punjab cop killed in 1993 fake encounter says 4 generations have suffered
In the wake of former Punjab Police officer Paramjit Singh's sentencing in the fake encounter case, Charanjit Singh, son of Surmukh Singh, one of the victims of the encounter, has talked about his struggles, including facing rejection for a police job due to the stigma surrounding his father, who was falsely labelled a terrorist. A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali Wednesday sentenced former Beas station house officer Paramjit Singh, 68, retired superintedent of police, to 10 years' imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 for the abduction and custodial killing of two Punjab Police constables—Surmukh Singh of Muchhal village (Baba Bakala) and Sukhwinder Singh of Khiala village (Amritsar)—in a fake encounter in 1993. 'I was born after the murder of my father, Surmukh Singh. My mother took me to my maternal great-grandparents. She got remarried and my maternal grandparents raised me,' said Charanjit, who met his paternal grandfather only in his mid-teens. Human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra was the first to uncover that the bodies of the two constables had been cremated as 'unclaimed bodies' by the Punjab Police. On September 6, 1995, Khalra himself was allegedly abducted from his home, tortured, and killed in a similar fake encounter. His wife, Paramjit Kaur Khalra, subsequently approached the Supreme Court, requesting an investigation into how many such bodies were cremated in Punjab as 'unclaimed'. Acting on records compiled by Khalra, the court directed the CBI to conduct an investigation that led to the conviction of Paramjit Singh. It took over three decades for the court to reach a verdict. As one family member said, 'Delayed justice has left its own scars behind.' Charanjit recounted that his grandfather never spoke of the case directly but hinted at a possible police job through a contact, Paramjit Singh, now convicted for his father's killing. 'Actually, my grandfather father knew Paramjit Singh, who has now been convicted for the fake encounter of my father. I couldn't understand the meaning of it at that time,' Charanjit said. He alleged that Paramjit Singh promised a job in exchange for withdrawing the CBI case. In 2012, during a police recruitment drive, Charanjit cleared all the physical and medical tests. 'I was told that I cannot be given a job because my father was a terrorist. They told me that I was the son of a terrorist, so I cannot be given the job. My grandfather and I were devastated. First, they snatched my father and his dignity and then my job,' he said. Although he had passed the medical and written tests, he was rejected at the counselling stage. Following that, Paramjit Singh stopped responding to the family's calls. Human rights activist Sarabjit Singh Verka, who pursued the case, said, 'Paramjit Singh not only killed Surmukh Singh but also the hopes of his son Charanjit Singh. He was not the son of a terrorist. He was eligible for the job, but the police report was against him. Because Paramjit Singh had killed his father, tagging him as a terrorist.' Charanjit Singh said, 'We didn't get any compensation. Our four generations have suffered due to Paramjit Singh. My grandfather suffered. He spent his whole life seeking justice. He also tried to compromise on justice in the hope that I would be able to live a good life and my children wouldn't have to suffer the poverty as I did.' Now working as a private driver earning Rs 12,000 per month, Charanjit says the injustice has left his family emotionally and economically shattered. 'We were from a Dalit family. My father's job was a great source of hope to help us recover from poverty. His murder and the stigma that came with it pushed us back from where my father had started,' he said. Sukhwinder Singh, the second constable killed in the alleged encounter, also belonged to a Dalit family. He was unmarried and, according to relatives, the first in the family to get a government job. 'My grandfather had great expectations from him,' said Amritpal Singh, nephew of Sukhwinder Singh. 'But he was killed in a fake encounter, and after that, my grandfather spent all his life seeking justice.' His grandfather passed away in 2015, without seeing the case come to a conclusion. 'He couldn't wait for justice to deliver,' Amritpal Singh added. When asked if he knew about Jaswant Singh Khalra, Charanjit Singh said, 'My grandfather had told me that Jaswant Singh Khalra had come to our home. But I don't know much.' 'Punjab '95', the film based on the life and death of Khalra, starring Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh, has remained stuck with the censor board for more than two years. Asked about the movie, Charanjit Singh said, 'I don't know about the movie. I am a driver. I don't know much about what is happening around. I have to raise my children. I want to give them what I missed all my life. I demand that the government give me commendation and dues. I also want my job back, which was denied to me because they tagged my father as a terrorist.' 'We will try to get the compensation to both families. Both victims were in police jobs, and they had bright futures ahead. Both families suffered as a result of this fake encounter. Paramjit Singh lived his life with all the salaries and dues. But these families were denied everything,' said lawyer Verka.
NDTV
25-07-2025
- NDTV
1993 Fake Encounter Case: Ex Punjab Police Officer Sentenced To 10 Years In Jail
Chandigarh: A CBI court in Mohali has sentenced a former Punjab Police officer to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in a 1993 fake encounter case of two police constables. The court of special CBI Judge Baljinder Singh Sra also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Paramjit Singh, who was then the station house officer of Beas in Amritsar. Singh (67) retired as a superintendent of police. In its order on Wednesday, the court acquitted three other accused -- the then inspector Dharam Singh (77), the then assistant sub inspector Kashmir Singh (69) and the then ASI Darbara Singh (71) -- in the case. Another accused, the then sub-inspector Ram Lubhaya died during the trial of the case. Constable Surmukh Singh of Muchhal village in Baba Bakala and constable Sukhwinder Singh of Khiala village were picked up by police on April 18, 1993. Surmukh Singh was taken from his home by the then SHO Paramjit Singh of Beas police station, while Sukhwinder was picked up by then SI Lubhaya in a scooter theft case. The parents of Sukhwinder visited the Beas police station but were not allowed to meet their son. Later, the Majitha police claimed that two unidentified militants had been killed in an encounter. Their bodies were cremated without identification, according to the CBI investigation. A week later an untraced report was filed by the then SHO, claiming that there was no need for further investigation in the matter. However, the CBI during its probe found that the encounter was staged and police fabricated documents to make it appear genuine. The CBI, which carried out the investigation on the directions of the Supreme Court in 1995, probe found that the two unidentified militants who were killed in the encounter were actually the two police constables. Referring to the families of the dead constable, the court in its order stated, "The court can very well imagine the plight of the family members who have been running from pillar to post since 1993 to seek justice. They must have incurred a lot of expenses for that and need monetary compensation for their rehabilitation." The court directed the secretary, district legal service authority Mohali to consider the case of the victims' families for award of compensation. CBI public prosecutor Anmol Narang, assisted by advocates Sarabjit Singh Verka, Pushpinder Singh Natt and Jagjit Singh represented the complainants.
New Indian Express
24-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Ex-Punjab police officer sentenced to 10-year rigorous imprisonment in 1993 fake encounter case
CHANDIGARH: A CBI court in Mohali has sentenced a former Punjab Police officer to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in a 1993 fake encounter case of two police constables. The court of special CBI Judge Baljinder Singh Sra also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Paramjit Singh, who was then the station house officer of Beas in Amritsar. Singh (67) retired as a superintendent of police. In its order on Wednesday, the court acquitted three other accused - the then inspector Dharam Singh (77), the then assistant sub inspector Kashmir Singh (69) and the then ASI Darbara Singh (71) - in the case. Another accused, the then sub-inspector Ram Lubhaya died during the trial of the case. Constable Surmukh Singh of Muchhal village in Baba Bakala and constable Sukhwinder Singh of Khiala village were picked up by police on April 18, 1993. Surmukh Singh was taken from his home by the then SHO Paramjit Singh of Beas police station, while Sukhwinder was picked up by then SI Lubhaya in a scooter theft case. The parents of Sukhwinder visited the Beas police station but were not allowed to meet their son. Later, the Majitha police claimed that two unidentified militants had been killed in an encounter.
Indian Express
23-07-2025
- Indian Express
Ex-Beas SHO gets 10 years imprisonment in 1993 fake encounter case
After 32 years of legal battle, a CBI court in Mohali Wednesday sentenced former Beas (then SHO) Paramjit Singh (68) (retd SP) to 10 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him for abducting two Punjab Police constables who were later killed in a staged encounter in 1993. The court acquitted Inspector Dharam Singh (then SHO of Lopoke), ASI Kashmir Singh, and ASI Darbara Singh due to lack of concrete evidence, while S-I Ram Lubhiya (incharge, Butala police post) died during trial proceedings. The case dates back to April 18, 1993, when Constable Surmukh Singh (Muchhal village, Baba Bakala) and Constable Sukhwinder Singh (Khiala village, Amritsar), both in their early 20s, were picked up by the police and illegally detained. Later, the Majitha police claimed they had killed 'two unidentified militants' in an encounter and cremated their bodies as unclaimed. CBI public prosecutor Anmol Narang stated, 'Surmukh Singh was picked up by a team led by then SHO Paramjit Singh around 6 pm, while Sukhwinder Singh was picked by S-I Ram Lubhiya earlier the same day at 2 pm.' The next day, Sukhwinder's parents were denied access to meet him at Beas police station. Four days later, the Majitha police under SHO Dharam Singh falsely claimed an encounter and later filed an 'untraced report'. Acting on the Supreme Court's orders, the CBI began its probe on December 26, 1995, and identified the deceased as the two constables. A formal FIR was registered on February 28, 1997, and a chargesheet was filed in 1999 against five officers. Victims' counsel Jagjit Singh Bajwa and Sarabjit Singh Verka said, 'Despite charges being framed in 1999, the trial was delayed for over two decades due to baseless petitions. Only 27 witnesses were examined. Others died or turned hostile.' Charanjit Singh, son of late Surmukh Singh, while speaking to the media outside the court, said, 'These police officials not only killed my father but also ruined my life. I had been selected for recruitment in the police department, but because of the allegations/ this case made by them, I was not issued the appointment letter. I am seeking justice for that as well.'
