**Title:** Five Retired Punjab Police Officers Convicted in Fake Encounters
**Meta Description:** Five retired Punjab Police officers, including a former SSP and DSP, were convicted for their roles in two fake encounters in 1993.
**URL Slug:** retired-punjab-police-officers-fake-encounters-convicted
**Headline:** Five Retired Punjab Police Officers Found Guilty in 1993 Fake Encounters
In a significant ruling, a CBI court in Mohali has convicted five retired officers of the Punjab Police, including a former Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), for their involvement in two staged encounters that occurred in 1993 in the Tarn Taran district. The convicted individuals include former DSP Bhupinderjit Singh, who later served as SSP, along with former assistant sub-inspector Davinder Singh, former assistant sub-inspector Gulbarg Singh, former Inspector Suba Singh, and former ASI Raghbir Singh.
The case revolves around the illegal abduction, torture, and murder of seven men from Rani Vallah village, four of whom were Special Police Officers (SPOs). The officers were found guilty of serious charges, including criminal conspiracy, murder, destruction of evidence, and fabrication of records, as outlined in relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Following the verdict, the convicted officers were taken into custody, with sentencing expected soon.
The CBI’s investigation revealed that a police team, led by the then station house officer of Sirhali Police Station, Gurdev Singh, unlawfully detained SPOs Shinder Singh, Desa Singh, Sukhdev Singh, and two others, Balkar Singh and Daljit Singh, from the home of a government contractor on June 27, 1993. These individuals were falsely implicated in a robbery case.
On July 2, 1993, the Sarhali police registered a case against Shinder Singh, Desa Singh, and Sukhdev Singh, alleging that they had absconded with government-issued weapons. Later, on July 12, a police team led by DSP Bhupinderjit Singh and Inspector Gurdev Singh claimed that while escorting a man named Mangal Singh to Gharka village for a recovery related to the dacoity case, they were ambushed by militants. In the ensuing crossfire, Mangal Singh, Desa Singh, Shinder Singh, and Balkar Singh were reported killed.
However, forensic analysis of the seized weapons revealed significant inconsistencies, and post-mortem reports indicated that the victims had been tortured prior to their deaths. Alarmingly, despite being identified in police records, their bodies were cremated as unclaimed.
The investigation further uncovered that on July 28, 1993, three additional individuals—Sukhdev Singh, Sarabjit Singh, and Harvinder Singh—were also killed in a staged encounter involving the same police team led by DSP Bhupinderjit Singh. The case was transferred to the CBI following a Supreme Court order on December 12, 1996, concerning the mass cremation of unidentified bodies in Punjab. The CBI officially registered the case in 1999 based on a complaint from Narinder Kaur, the wife of Shinder Singh.
It is noteworthy that five other accused police officials, including Inspector Gurdev Singh, Sub-Inspector Gian Chand, ASI Jagir Singh, and head constables Mohinder Singh and Aroor Singh, passed away during the trial.
In conclusion, this landmark conviction highlights the ongoing efforts to address police misconduct and ensure accountability within law enforcement agencies in India.
**FAQ Section:**
**Q: What were the charges against the retired Punjab Police officers?**
A: The officers were charged with criminal conspiracy, murder, destruction of evidence, and fabrication of records related to two fake encounters in 1993.