Chandigarh: Lawyers For Human Rights International (LFHRI) has released a fact finding report on human rights violations of Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh, two Sikh brothers who are reportedly framed by the state police in Bargari Beadbi Case. The report that was made public by Advocate Navkiran Singh, senior Lawyer of Punjab and Haryana High Court, reads as follows:-
FACT FINDING REPORT OF LFHRI OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS OF RUPINDER SINGH & JASWINDER SINGH, BROTHERS OF PUNJGRAIN KHURD, FDKT.
29 October 2015
FACT FINDING REPORT OF LFHRI OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS OF RUPINDER SINGH & JASWINDER SINGH, BROTHERS OF PUNJGRAIN KHURD, FARIDKOT AFTER IMPLICATION IN THE SACRILEGE CASE OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB.
BRIEF BACK GROUND OF THE MATTER
There were several incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab and the news of these sacrilege incidents hurt the religious sentiments of the people of Punjab particularly the Sikhs. Due to these incidents the Sikhs all over Punjab started protest marches and the roads remained blocked due to these protest marches all over the Punjab. On October, 14 2015 a police party started lathi charge and firing on Sikhs who were peacefully protesting against the incidents of sacrilege near Village Behbal Kalan, District Faridkot, Punjab, and two Sikhs Kishan Singh and Gurjit Singh were killed in police firing.
Thereafter the protests spread more all over the Punjab and the Sikhs are demanding arrest of the culprits who are behind the incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib. Due to the pressure of public on the govt, the Punjab police had claimed that they have arrested Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh, two real brothers who were accused of committed the sacrilege and so the police claimed to have solved one of the sacrilege incident . The police also claimed in a press conference which was held by Mr. IPS Sahota Additional Director General of Police that there is a foreign hand in the incidents and some people in foreign countries such as Australia and Dubai are behind these incidents. Though within two three days of Punjab police’s claim of foreign hand, their claims fell flat on the face, when two persons whose phone Numbers the police claimed to tapped came out in social media and claimed innocence and also admitted to have sent a paltry sum of below 20,000 Rs, which was for medical aid to one of the accused Rupinder Singh who was undergoing treatment at Apolo Hospital for spinal injury received by him due to stick blows of the police. Thereafter they also appeared in some TV Channels falsifying the story of the police. To this effect several prominent news papers wrote their stories in big columns. One such story also appeared in Times of India Newspaper dated 22.10.2015 under the heading “FORIEGN HAND REVEAL THEIR TRUE IDENTITY”.
The people of their village and surrounding villages also stood against the false implication and arrests of Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh. In their Village i.e. Panjgrain Khurd the entire village stood in favour of the youths . They claimed that the brothers were falsely implicated by the Punjab police and questions are being raised over the police probe. Interestingly on e of the youth Rupinder Singh who is a Baptised Sikh and was injured in the police lathi had suffered injuries on his spinal cord and he was got admitted in Apolo Hospital by the people from where he was arrested. After the arrest of the brothers Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh, the police produced them before the concerned Magistrate on 21.10.2015 and they were remanded to police custody by the Magistrate for six days. On 26.102015 they were sent to judicial remand. On 27.10.2015 Rupinder Singh was referred to Advance Trauma Centre in P.G.I., Chandigarh for treatment of his spinal injury.
INQUIRY HELD BY LAWYERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS INTERNATIONAL:
After reading the news items in the Newspapers regarding the arrests of Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh and protests by the Villagers and Sikh Leaders levelling serious allegations on the Punjab Police for falsely implicating, LFHRI with help of Mr Phoolka, Sr Advocate of Delhi identified Mr. Shiv Kartar Singh Sekhon a lawyer from faridkot to defend the brothers and also assured the family of all legal help in the High Court at Chandigarh as well as Supreme Court of India, Delhi in case of need. Our team was informed about Rupinder Singh being shifted to PGI, Chandigarh to Advance Trauma Centre, P.G.I., Chandigarh due to his spinal injury so Lawyers For Human Rights International formed a fact finding team comprising of Navkiran Singh, Tejinder Singh Sudan, Parminder Singh and Navratan Singh advocates and in the evening of 28.10.2015 the team members went to Advance Trauma Centre, P.G.I. and verified about the injured Rupinder Singh and after searching for him found his father Mr Darshan Singh, who told the members that Rupinder Singh has been taken for MRI by the Punjab Policemen.
While we were waiting for Rupinder Singh to return back his father disclosed to us that on 14.10.2015 his son Rupinder Singh was injured in a lathi charge by Punjab police, which he came to know about the same on 15.10.2015. He further disclosed that after getting X-ray from outside, his son Rupinder Singh was got admitted in Faridkot Hospital where under the pressure of the police they gave in writing that they do not want to pursue the case due to fear of police and did not want to allege anything against the police and so on 15.10.2015 and they got released Rupinder Singh from the Govt Hospital and took him to home and thereafter at some other place. On the night of 16/17.10.2015 the police arrested him and his other son Jaswinder Singh alongwith Gurlal Singh, Aman Singh, Mauji shopkeeper and they all were taken to C.I.A. Staff at Mehna Road. Over there he and Mauji were separated and the remaining were taken to another room. Gurlal Singh was mercilessly tortured in the next room as he heard his shrieks. The father further disclosed that he spent a night over there behind the bars and was released alongwith Mauji, but Jaswinder Singh, Gurlal Singh and Aman were taken away by the police. He also came to know that his son Rupinder Singh was also taken into custody from Apolo Hospital, where he was admitted by Bhai Kanhaiya Sewa Society Members. Thereafter he along with his Village Sarpanch Baldev Singh met his other son Jaswinder Singh at C.I.A. Staff, Faridkot on 18/19.10.2015 and found him badly tortured by the police and he was barely able to walk. Gurlal Singh was later released by the police from C.I.A. Staff, Faridkot. He also reported that he saw some torture scars on the feet and ears of Jaswinder Singh. His both sons Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh were produced before the concerned Magistrate on 21.10.2015 and they were remanded to police custody by the concerned Magistrate for six days. On 26.102015 they were sent to judicial remand. On 27.10.2015 Rupinder Singh was referred to Advance Trauma Centre in P.G.I., Chandigarh due to his spinal injury.
In the meantime Rupinder returned after getting MRI conducted on his body. The team members tried to meet Rupinder Singh who was surrounded by several armed Punjab policemen and a jail staff constable, but the policemen present there refused to allow the team members to talk to him. S.I. Harbans Singh who was heading the police team, told Navkiran Singh, Advocate and the team members that they have instructions from D.G.P., Punjab to not to allow any person including the advocates to meet Rupinder Singh. On this the team member Navkiran Singh talked to S.S.P., Faridkot on his mobile number 9814045052 and the S.S.P. told Navkiran Singh that there was no such instructions from the police and it was only jail authorities who can allow us to meet him. On this Navkiran Singh, Advocate took the cell number of the Supdt of jail Faridkot from the present jail staff and talked to Jail Suptd. Mr. Balkar Singh Bhullar and requested that he should be allowed meeting with the detenu Rupinder Singh, who sought time to talk to his seniors and then called Navkiran Singh Advocate back, but refused the permission to meet Rupinder Singh.
It is apparent that the police and jail authorities have joined hands with each other to conceal the truth about Rupinder Singh’s human rights violations in custody and that is the reason that his Lawyers are not being permitted to talk to him in person.
We demand a detailed enquiry into the whole episode of the implication and Torture of Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh and others in case FIR NO 128 Dated 12-10-2015, P.S Bajakhana, District Faridkot.
DATED : 29-10-2015
NAVKIRAN SINGH, ADVOCATE
TEJINDER SINGH SUDAN, ADVOCATE
PARMINDER SINGH, ADVOCATE
NAVRATAN SINGH, ADVOCATE
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