Former Punjab police officers convicted in 1992 Amritsar fake encounter case

Amritsar: A special CBI court on Friday convicted two former Punjab police officers in connection with the 1992 fake encounter of two individuals in Amritsar district.

The court found Purushottam Singh, the then Station House Officer (SHO) of Majitha, and Sub-Inspector (SI) Gurbinder Singh guilty of murder and conspiracy. Their sentencing is scheduled for February 4.

Meanwhile, the court acquitted Inspector Chaman Lal and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) S.S. Sidhu, granting them the benefit of the doubt.

At the time of the incident, senior police officials had claimed that the two victims were hardcore terrorists involved in multiple cases of murder, extortion, and robbery.

One of them, Harbhajan Singh alias Shindi, was allegedly linked to the killing of Punjab cabinet minister Gurmej Singh and the Beant Singh-led government.

However, investigations later revealed that one of the victims was an army soldier, while the other was a 16-year-old minor.

The case was taken up by the CBI in 1995 following Supreme Court orders. The investigation found that Baldev Singh alias Deba was abducted from his home in Baserke Bhaini village on August 6, 1992, by a police team led by SI Mohinder Singh.