Ex- SP, 7 other cops get life term for fake encounters

Patiala, April 1: A CBI court here has sentenced seven retired policemen, including a superintendent of police, and an inspector to life imprisonment for killing four youth in two fake encounters in 1992.

The CBI nailed the police officers on the basis of post- mortem examination report and injury marks on the bodies of the two victims, shown dead during the fake encounters.

According to the CBI chargesheet, skulls and brains of the two victims were badly damaged, suggesting that they were badly tor- tured. While the other two victims were never found.

The youth were killed at a time when militancy was at its peak in Punjab. The case was handed over to the CBI, which had filed two chargesheets against 24 accused, of whom 16 were let off.

Special CBI judge Kuldip Singh on Tuesday sentenced SP Ram Singh ( Retd) from Kapurthala, inspector Ajit Singh ( Retd), inspectors Ajaib Singh and Amrik Singh, and sub- inspector Harbhajan Singh to life imprisonment. A fine of ` 8,500 each was also slapped on them.

In the second case registered by the CBI, the court sentenced assistant inspector Sukhwant Singh, and constables Rajinder Kumar and Nand Singh to life imprisonment along with a fine of ` 6,500 each.

“Both the cases are interlinked since the accused ensured there were no witnesses to the crime. But the postmortem reports and other evidences helped the CBI nail their lie,” said H. P. S. Verma, senior counsel for the victims’ family.