Punjab: Five retired police officers convicted in 1993 fake encounter case

New Delhi: In a landmark verdict, the Special CBI Court in Mohali on Friday convicted five retired Punjab Police officers in connection with a decades-old fake encounter case involving the staged killings of seven individuals in 1993.

The court found them guilty of criminal conspiracy, abduction, and extrajudicial killings. Those convicted include Bhupinderjit Singh (retired as SSP), Devinder Singh (retired as DSP), Gulbarg Singh (retired as Inspector), Suba Singh (retired as Inspector), and Raghubir Singh (retired as Sub-Inspector).

The quantum of sentence will be announced on August 4, 2025. The case dates back to 27 June 1993, when Shinder Singh, Sukhdev Singh, and Desa Singh – Special Police Officers (SPOs) with the Punjab Police – were abducted by a team led by Inspector Gurdev Singh, then SHO of PS Sirhali.

On the same day, another individual, Balkar Singh alias Kala, was also abducted. In July 1993, Sarabjit Singh alias Saba and Harwinder Singh were abducted by Suba Singh, then SHO of PS Verowal. On 12 July 1993, Shinder Singh, Desa Singh, Balkar Singh, and one Mangal Singh were killed in a fake encounter allegedly orchestrated by DSP Bhupinderjit Singh and the PS Sirhali police team.

Subsequently, on 28 July 1993, Sukhdev Singh, Sarabjit Singh, and Harwinder Singh were similarly killed in a staged encounter by the same DSP and personnel from PS Verowal.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered the case on June 30, 1999, following a Supreme Court directive in a criminal writ petition filed by Mrs. Paramjit Kaur.

A chargesheet was filed in 2002 against ten officers, five of whom passed away during the prolonged trial.

The verdict is seen as a significant step in holding accountable those responsible for human rights abuses during Punjab’s turbulent period in the early 1990s.

IANS