General News

CM Badal reacts vaguely to disclosure of fake encounters by Punjab cops

July 8, 2013 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Chandigarh, Punjab (July 08, 2013): It is learnt that a private news channel, that has been extensively covering the issue of disclosures made by Punjab cop Surjit Singh (Sub-Inspector), was able to get reaction of Punjab’s cheif minister Parkash Singh Badal on the issue.

In a short byte with Day and Night News (DNN) Parkash Singh Badal was seen as giving vague answers to clear questions by the reporter regarding the disclosures made by SI Surjit Singh that he had killed 83 innocent people in fake encounters on the orders of superior police officers in 1993.

His superior – Paramjit Singh Gill – is now posted at Ludhaina as the Commissioner of police.

Sikh Siyasat News (SSN) has prepared a translated transcript of Badal’s reaction caught on camera by Day and Nigh News. The (English) transcript has been made on the basis of video recording of Badal’s reaction (in Punjabi) that is made available by DNN on it’s YouTube Channel and an attempt has been made to prepare the transcript without any bias or alteration.

Badal’s reaction to SI Surjit Singh’s disclosures:

<transcript begins>:

Parkash Singh Badal: Don’t know.., he has filed (petition) in High Court also; what ever High Court decides.., let us see what it decides.

Reporter: Won’t Punjab government do (something) at it’s own level?

Parkash Singh Badal: If (somebody) tells us, then the thing is …

Reporter: Won’t (the government) take suo-moto (action)?

Parkash Singh Badal: No use of suo-moto (action). If someone gives in writing, that this thing has happened, then we would do definitely. We … if something is for the Punjab, the government is for that.

<transcript ends>.

It must be noted that SI Surjit Singh has been suspended from the Punjab police force, after he disclosure of fake encounter in front of the media. Now he is alleging that his life is in danger and his superiors could get him eliminated.

According to well documented reports by various human rights organizations: enforced disappearances, fake encounters and secret cremations were a common policing practise during 1980-90s in Punjab.

In some diplomatic cables of United States that were leaked by Wikileaks, this fact finds clear and repeated mention that many police officers in Punjab, such as Izhar Alam, kept their private armies of criminals who eliminated Sikh youth, families of Sikh militants and innocent civilians.

According to various Human Rights reports – such as Dead Silence – the legacy of human rights abuses in Punjab (1994) by Human Right Watch; Reduced to Ashes – the insurgency and human rights in Punjab (2003) by Committee for Coordination on Disappearances in Punjab; Protecting the Killers: A Policy of Impunity in Punjab (2007) by Human Rights Watch and Ensaaf, the Punjab police was indulged in systematic and widespread abuses of human rights violations and fake encounters were a common method used for extra-judicial killings.

It is notable that despite plenty of evidences and existence of witnesses, the human rights abuses in Punjab were never investigated thoroughly, and the culprit police officers are enjoying impunity and powerful positions.

Punjab’s Director General of Police is facing criminal charges in Indian courts for extra-judicial killings but the judiciary has turned blind eye towards his promotions, and to the fact that such a person could easily misuse his top-cop position to influence the process of cases against him.

All organs of the Indian state seems to have adopted a uniform “Listen nothing, see nothing, and say nothing” approach towards the issue of human rights abuses in Punjab.

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Related Topics: Day and Night News, Fake Encounters, Human Rights, Parkash Singh Badal, Punjab Police, Punjab Police Atrocities, Surjit Singh SI

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