On reading a news report in The Tribune, Chandigarh in its issue dated November 27,2001, a team of members of Lawyers For Human Rights International was formed
to investigate into the incident of illegal detention of Mewa Singh of District Ropar by Punjab Police. The team was headed by Mr.Tejinder Singh Sudan,President, Chandigarh District Unit and assisted by Mr.K.P.S.Gill, Mr.O.P.Dabla, Mr.Yogesh Vinayak and Mr.Ravinder Singh, Mohinder Singh.
FACTS:
Mewa Singh, son of Ajaib Singh, resident of village Majri Jattan, Tehsil and District Ropar aged about 31 years is an employee of a contractor engaged in the work of selling sand from the river bed in District Ropar. The said contractor had some dispute with some competitor organisation which had contacts with Punjab police officials. On November 24, 2001 when Mewa Singh was supervising the work of his employer in the river bed of village Panjola, District Ropar, a police party in uniform headed by the ASI Jagan Nath, Incharge of Police Post Parkhali, District Ropar came there in a private Maruti Car no.PB-16-0196 and in the presence of Jaswinder Singh, son of Bachan Singh and Beant Singh, son of Gurdas Singh and forcibly took Mewa Singh away in the said car. The parents of Mewa Singh approached every authority including Senior Superintendent of Police, Ropar and other senior officers, but was unable to know the whereabouts of his son till November 26, 2001. On November 26, 2001, Ajaib Singh, father of the victim, filed a Habeas Corpus Writ Petition in the Punjab & Haryana High Court for seeking the production of his son, Mewa Singh. Justice M.L.Singhal of the Punjab & Haryana High Court appointed a Warrant Officer to visit the Police Post Parkhali and get the detainee released. But when the Warrant Officer went to the Police Post, the detainee was not found there and the Warrant Officer went back without tracing the whereabouts of the detainee. Suddenly the victim, Mewa Singh was found in the dense forests behind the Panjab University Campus in Sector 14, Chandigarh in the afternoon of November 27, 2001.
VICTIMS’ STATEMENT
The investigating team met the victim Mewa Singh and interviewed him at length. As per his first interview, he was forcibly abducted by ASI Jagan Nath, Incharge of Police Post Parkhali in District Ropar on November 24, 2001 and taken to Police Post Parkhali till 4 p.m. of November 24. In the evening, he was shifted to Police Station Sadar, Ropar and detained there the whole night without registering any case. He was taken to an undisclosed place the next early morning and detained in a small room with attached toilet surrounded by a big agricultural farm. He was kept there till November 27, 2001 afternoon. He was given food and comfort during this time. In the morning of November 26, 2001, the Station House Officer of Police Station Sadar, Ropar, Mr.Manvir Singh had come to him at this place and warned him of serious consequences, if he or his firm ever tried to remove the sand from the river bed of village Panjola. The detainee was brought from that place in the afternoon of November 27, 2001 in the same Maruti Car by the ASI Jagan Nath and dropped in the forests behind Sector 14, Chandigarh at about 2.30 p.m. He did not complain of any torture, but said that threats of liquidation were given by the Policemen.
POLICE VERSION
The investigation team contacted the Station House Officer of Police Station Ropar on telephone, but he was not available, nor was the Incharge of Police Post Parkhali Distt.Ropar was available. All the efforts of the team to know the version of the police failed.
FINDINGS
After going through the allegations and verifying it from the eye-witnesses, the organisation holds that the Police officers ASI Jagan Nath and SHO Manvir Singh are responsible for the forcible abduction and illegal confinement of Mewa Singh from November 24 till November 27, 2001. They have also committed the offence of criminal intimidation and abuse of their official position to cause wrongful loss to the detainee.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The organisation recommends to the Director-General of Punjab Police and the Home Department of the State of Punjab to book ASI Jagan Nath of Police Post Parkhali and Manvir Singh, SHO of Police Station Sadar, Ropar under Section 342, 506/34, 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, besides paying a compensation to the tune of Rs.50,000/- to the victim, Mewa Singh which may be recovered from the pocket of the delinquent officers.
2. The organisation further recommends the arrest of the two officers and to place them on suspension and their posting may be made at a place outside District Ropar so that they may not temper with the evidence or influence the investigation.
CRITICAL OBSERVATION
The incident of forced abduction and illegal detention in Punjab has become an order of the day. It was the 202nd reported incident of illegal detention in Punjab Since 1997. The fundamental right to life and liberty of the people is being trampled upon with impunity. Many a time, the victims or their relatives are unable to approach the courts for various reasons and the basic human rights are blown to the winds by the brutalised police force in the State. The Protector has turned violator. The definition of “Police” has changed. Under these impending circumstances, human life appears insecure in Punjab. Are we heading for another battle with the foe of peace?
ACTION TAKEN BY LHRI
Our organisation sent the copies of the above report to the concerned authorities for necessary action, but no action was taken by the authorities concerned as per the knowledge of the organisation.
CHANDIGARH.
November 28,2001