Mansa SP appears before CBI court

HAD EARLIER CLAIMED

THAT NO WEAPON WAS ISSUED TO KOT MANSA ARMOURY; NOW TELLS COURT THAT A REVOLVER OF .455 CALIBRE WAS ISSUED TO ONE OF THE ACCUSED IN CASE

PANCHKULA: The superintendent of police (SP) of Punjab’s Mansa recorded his statement in the murder case of former Dera Sacha Sauda manager Ranjit Singh before a CBI court here on Monday.

Mansa SP (headquarters) Satpal Singh, who had claimed under the RTI Act that no revolver bearing number 24707 was issued to Kot Mansa armoury, however, said a revolver of .455 calibre was issued to Sabdil Singh, an accused in the said case.

CBI counsel HPS Verma said that the revolver used in the murder of Ranjit Singh was also a .455 calibre weapon.

He told HT that the SP held in the court that a particular .455 calibre revolver issued in the name of Sabdil was redeposited in the police records on July 5, 1999.

The SP was, however, silent on an entry pertaining to another revolver of .455 calibre also issued in the name of Sabdil, Verma said, adding that a bullet which hit Ranjit Singh in the head was also of .455 calibre. The next hearing in the case was fixed for March 21.

Meanwhile, Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim appeared through videoconferencing in the said case in CBI court here, besides another accused Krishan Lal, who appeared from Ambala jail.

While two other accused in the case — Sabdil and Avtar Singh — appeared in person, Jasbir and Inder Sen were exempted from appearance.

It may be recalled that Ranjit Singh, a former dera follower, was shot dead by four assailants in 2002 at his native village in Kurukshetra as he had allegedly been raising his voice against the dera head.