CASE HISTORY OF FAKE ENCOUNTER OF A COUPLE IN TILJALA, CALCUTTA
On May 17, 1993, a team of senior police officers led by the then SP Bathinda, S.K. Singh alongwith DSP Sukhdev Singh Chahal, Head Constable Ram Dayal(who was later promoted as ASI), promotee head constable Sukhjivan Singh and promoted Cosntable Darshan Singh went to Calcullta without the knowledge of the West Bengal government and raided a flat in Tiljala locality in the wee hours and dragged out a couple, Mohammad Bashir Ahmad alias Lachmi Singh and his wife Sakina Begum alias Renuka, shot them at point blank range and took away their bodies. The bodies were not recovered. It was alleged that the deceased Lachmi Singh was a Punjab police deserter. The Calcutta police on coming to know of this dastardly act immediately intervened and the whole team of Punjab police was detained by the Police. It was indeed a matter of concern for the KPS Gill on whose orders the cold blooded murders were committed. The then Chief Minister Beant Singh had to assure Jyoti Basu, Chief Minister of West Bengal that in future no policeman from Punjab would step into their territory without informing the local police, before the team was allowed to go.
After few days in May,1993 a public spirited advocate of Delhi, Mr. B.L.Wadhera filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court bringing to its notice the gory killings. The bench of Supreme Court headed by Justice A.H.Ahmadi ordered a C.B.I. probe into the incident. It also observed that : “ If the facts are ultimately established, it would reveal that human life has no value to the men in uniform.” On April 17,1994 the CBI submitted its report on the basis of which the apex court ordered the prosecution of five Punjab police officers named above. On May 2, 1994 the same bench directed the Punjab government to decide the sanction application for prosecution of the five officers moved by the CBI within 15 days.
The Court of Sessions Judge, Calcutta finally proved justified the observation of the Supreme Court by convicting the five police officers and sentencing them to life imprisonment in May, 2000.