Chandigarh: A special CBI court has convicted five retired Punjab Police officers, including the then Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), in connection with a fake encounter case dating back to 1993 in Tarn Taran district. The sentencing will be pronounced on Monday.
Those convicted include retired SSP Bhupendrajit Singh, retired DSP Davinder Singh, and retired inspectors Suba Singh, Raghubir Singh, and Gulberg Singh. All have been taken into custody following the conviction and will be sentenced under Sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The case involves the killing of seven young men who were allegedly picked up from their homes, illegally detained for several days, and subjected to severe torture. Defence lawyers said the victims were taken to police stations and their homes, where they were extorted and assaulted before being killed in staged encounters.
Two separate FIRs were registered at the Vairowal and Sahrali police stations in Tarn Taran, falsely claiming that the men were killed in police encounters.
Families of the victims expressed satisfaction over the court’s decision after more than three decades of legal proceedings.
