Khalra’s Widow Moves HC Over Ex-DGP K.P. Gill

By Sikh Sangat News, Sep 8, 2006

Mrs Paramjit Kaur Khalra, widow of Human Rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who the Sikh community and Human Rights Groups state was kidnapped and later liquidated by Punjab Police personnel in 1995, is filing a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking completion of the CBI investigation into the case via-a-vis the then DGP, Punjab, Mr K.P. Gill.

In her petition, Mrs Khalra is praying that despite evidence, including statement of prosecution witness Kuldeep Singh, who reportedly told the CBI about the role allegedly played by Mr Gill in the disappearance of Mr Khalra, the CBI has adopted a policy of go-slow insofar as Mr Gill was concerned.

She has pointed out despite the damning testimony of Kuldeep Singh, the CBI chose not to make him a prosecution witness.

It was only after Mrs Khalra filed an application in court in August 1988, requesting that Kuldeep Singh be made a witness, that the court ordered so and he was made a witness and his statement was recorded.

As per her, Kuldeep Singh's testimony, including the sequence of events, clearly pointed to the role of Mr Gill in the case.

In accordance with her petition, during the trial of some of the accused, it became evident Mr Gill was one of the main conspirators in the abduction, illegal detention, torture and alleged murder of her husband.

She stated that the murder would not have been possible without the direct involvement and that there was a prima facie case for further investigation into his role.

It may be recalled that sometime back, a Patiala court awarded life sentence to a Punjab Police DSP and a serving Inspector for their role in the crime. Four other cops were awarded seven years' rigorous imprisonment.

Immediately after the judgment, Mrs Paramjit Kaur and her lawyer, Mr Rajvinder Singh Bains, had termed the punishment ‘‘too little, too late’’.

They had also demanded that the CBI register a case against the former DGP.

Tomorrow, Mr Khalra's widow and Human Rights activist Ram Narayan Kumar are scheduled to address a press conference with regard to Mr Gill’s role in the entire case.

Indian police arrested Human Rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra (pictured) after he exposed their policy of mass cremation of Sikhs, in which over 50,000 Sikhs have been arrested, tortured, and murdered, then their bodies were declared unidentified and secretly cremated.

Khalra's body was not given to his family. All this time has elapsed and nobody has been brought to justice for the kidnapping and murder of Jaswant Singh Khalra.