MURDER OF NC LEADER’S SON: 2 COPS ACQUITTED

JAMMU: After 11 years of trial, a local court on Monday acquitted two police officers allegedly involved in the fudging of evidence in the murder case of the son of a National Conference politician.

The then senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manohar Singh and Gandhi Nagar police station’s SHO Sultan Mirza were both acquitted in the murder case by second additional sessions judge, Jammu, Virender Singh Bhau.

The deceased, Amandeep Singh, son of former NC MLA Deepinder Kour was shot dead in Shastri Nagar on August 29, 2009 outside his residence.

A third policeman, sub-inspector Satnam Singh, who died during trial, was also acquitted.

Jatinder Singh alias Raja, son of a government contractor Choudhary Nagar Singh aka Nago, was the prime suspect in the case but he also died under mysterious circumstances in Udhampur jail in 2017.

However, the court held Jatinder Singh alias Raja, and another suspect, Royal Singh, guilty for murder.

While Raja died in Udhampur prison during trial, court awarded life sentence to Royal Singh.

The judge in his lengthy 178 page verdict was furious over the ‘botched up’ investigations.

“This court has no hesitation to observe and say that investigators while conducting proceedings and collecting evidence have acted as if they were writing the script of a movie, thus, indulgence in twisting of true facts and use of false facts to convince and persuade this court to come to false conclusion cannot be ruled out,” observed the judge.

He further directed that DGP, UT of Jammu and Kashmir is notified regarding this observation of the Court to seek an explanation from all the investigators, who are in service regarding lapses and gaps left in the case.