CHANDIGARH/GURDASPUR: The Punjab Human Rights Organization (PHRO) has expressed grave concern over the death of a young man, Ranjit Singh, during an alleged police encounter in the Gurdaspur district. Terming the tragic incident a potential violation of human rights, the organization has strongly urged the Punjab Government to initiate a high-level judicial inquiry.
A copy of the written release is available with the Sikh Siyasat News (SSN).
According to the representatives of the human rights body, the circumstances and facts surrounding the encounter raise serious questions about police conduct. Demanding absolute transparency, the release stated, “It is imperative to clarify whether this was genuinely an encounter or some other kind of incident.” The PHRO firmly believes that an internal police investigation will not suffice, advocating instead for the formation of an impartial judicial commission headed by a retired judge.
To ensure a fair investigation, the organization has demanded that all police officials connected to the incident be removed from their respective posts until the probe is completed. Additionally, they stressed that Ranjit Singh’s grieving family must be provided with adequate security and proper justice.
Issuing a stern warning to the state administration, the organization cautioned that if the government fails to take immediate and concrete steps, they will escalate the matter by taking it to national and international human rights organizations.
The statement demanding accountability was jointly issued by several prominent personalities and rights defenders, including Justice Ranjit Singh, Dr. Pyara Lal Garg, Senior Advocate Rajwinder Singh Bains, Jaspal Singh Sidhu, Sarbjit Singh Verka, S. Hamir Singh, Malwinder Singh Mali, and Dr. Khushal Singh.
