POWER, POLITICS & ‘MURDER’ MOST FOUL

The same year when the Jassi murder case rocked Punjab, Bibi Jagir Kaur, state’s former cabinet minister and two times SGPC chief, faced charges of murdering her daughter- Harpreet. It was alleged that she was against her daughter’s relations with a small-time party worker, Kamaljit Singh.

Harpreet died under mysterious circumstances in May 2000 and was cremated in a tearing hurry at Begowal (Kapurthala). Following her death, a scandalous revelation by Kamaljit led to CBI investigation. Kamaljit approached the Punjab and Haryana high court with proof of his “wedding to Harpreet and the fact that she was pregnant.” He alleged that Harpreet was made to abort her child and a month later she was killed.

Jagir Kaur maintained that her daughter fell ill and died on the way to the hospital. Kaur and six others were tried for Harpreet’s murder. While two were acquitted, in November 2008, accused-turned approver Dr BS Sohal died in a road accident at Amritsar. Kaur’s close aides Dalwinder Dhesi, Paramjit Raipur and her private security officer, sub- inspector Nishan Singh were acquitted of murder but held guilty on other charges.

Kaur was convicted of forcing her daughter to abort her child and keeping her in illegal confinement. The court dropped murder charges against her saying there was no direct link between the abortion and Harpreet’s death a month later. Kaur was arrested within days of her being inducted in the Parkash Singh Badal cabinet in March 2012. She is currently serving her five-year sentence and has appealed against conviction in the high court. “Indian cultures invest heavily in children. Girls are taught to be subservient and go as per family wishes. Disobeying is not acceptable,” adds Chandigarh-based psychologist Dr Simmi Waraich.

“The higher the stakes, the more harm one thinks there will be to the honour and the more important it becomes to save it at any cost. Even if one repents later,” adds Dr Rajesh Gill, sociologist at Panjab University, Chandigarh.