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Encountering The Truth Behind An Encounter
 Bhai
Sukhdev Singh 'Babbar', the chief of Babbar Khalsa International was
announced by the police to have been killed in an encounter with the
police on the Sahnewal-Dehlon Road in Ludhiana district at 5 AM on
9.8.92, but contrary to the police claim all other reports indicated
that Sukhdev Singh was already in police custody. It was in these
circumstances that IHRO appointed a four member team comprising of
its General Secretary Mohinder Singh Grewal and Secretaries
Gurbhajan Singh Gill, Bhupinder Singh Somal and Harchand Singh Gill
to investigate the incident.
The Fabricated Police Version
According to FIR Number: 63 dated 9.8.92 u/s 307/34 IPC, 25/27
Indian Arms Act and 3/4/5 TADA(P)Act of Police Station Sahnewal, "SSP
Sidharath Chattopadhya instructed that various militant
organisations, especially the Babbar Khalsa International are likely
to execute a big action in connection with the Bhog ceremony of the
Khalistan Liberation Force Chief, General Gurjant Singh
Budhsinghwala, so nakabandis were done around Ludhiana. I along with
Shiv Kumar-DSP (D), Narinder Pal Singh-DSP, PP Sabharwal-SP (O),
Ganesh- SI (CRPF) and their parties was present at the Dharaur
Culvert in the revenue estate of village Nandpur when at 5 AM, a
Maruti Car No: CH-01-F/1607 arrived from Dehlon side. Two Sikhs were
sitting on the front seats. We signalled them through torchlight to
stop but they left the car and after taking positions on the canal
distributary bank, started firing in order to kill the police party
but we, in self defence replied the firing and I informed the police
control room through wireless.
From the nearby check-post, the SSP along with this party came to
our help. The firing ensued from both sides with automatic weapons.
The militants made me a special target. I used my SLR but the firing
from their side was very heavy. Not afraid of losing my life I
continued to fire. When the firing ceased, we found a dead body
there. The other man had escaped. One AK-47 rifle with six live
rounds was found on the body, while 32 empties were lying nearby. A
small diary bearing the name of Sukhdev Singh, Head Sewadar, Babbar
Khalsa International was recovered from his person. The escapee had
left seven empties of .30 mossier behind. The police fired a total
of 203 rounds during the hour long encounter whereas, the militants
fired 39 rounds".
(SD) BS GILL SP (D), 9.8.92 at Nandpur at 7.30 AM
The IHRO Findings
According to the findings of the IHRO team, Bhai Sukhdev Singh was
living at house number 20, Urban Estate, Patiala in the garb of a
contractor as Jasmer Singh Sandhu. On the night of August 8, 1992,
the Ludhiana SP(D) , Balwant Singh Gill, on receiving cue from
Chandigarh went to Patiala with a selected police force and rang the
call bell of the said house and also gave the 'code word' which was
known to a top notch of the Babbar Khalsa and a very few other
associates. When the Babbar Khalsa chief descended from the upper
storey of the house and opened the gate, the police immediately
pounced upon him. After a short scuffle, he fell down and was
overpowered. He was then taken to Ludhiana along with his Maruti Car
(CH-01-F/1607). At Ludhiana, he was interrogated and tortured in the
CIA staff and the Focal Point police station. In the early hours of
August 9 when he was almost dead due to severe torture, he was put
in his car and taken to the Dharaur village culvert on the
Sahnewal-Dehlon road. At about 5 am, while he was still seated in
the car, he was shot dead and his body was thrown out of the car.
Later the police made up the story that the Babbar was shot dead in
an armed encounter in order to project the 'bravery' of certain
police officials like SSP Chattopadhya, SP(D), B.S. Gill, DSP(D),
Shiv Kumar, DSP, Narinder Pal Singh, SP(O), P.P. Shabharwal and
Inspector Gurjit Singh in anticipation of rewards and promotions.
Points to Ponder
The police story has many holes in its armour. These are some very
noteworthy points which make the police story look like reality
ridiculous:
• While showing the blood stained rear seat of the car, its broken
glasses and Sukhdev Singh's turban lying in the car to the newsmen,
the over-enthusiastic police officials forgot that they themselves,
in their made-up story had alleged that the two Sikhs had left the
car and taken positions along the distributary bank before the
"encounter" started. Then how did the blood and the turban come into
the car, which had already been abandoned?
• The police says that the Babbar was identified from a small diary
bearing the name of Sukhdev Singh Babbar, Head, Sevadar, Babbar
Khalsa International which was allegedly recovered from his body.
Will an underground militant, who was living in the guise of a
contractor Jasmer Singh Sandhu for a long time, carry along with him
a diary with his full real name and particulars written on it?
• Bhai Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala, the Chief of the Khalistan
Liberation Force, who was killed by mainly the same police party a
week earlier, was also alleged to have been identified in an
identical manner. Do the militants who encounter this very police
party, bring the diaries containing their full identity in their
pockets to help these police officials in their identification?
• The people of the area heard only seven or eight shots being fired
at the time of the "encounter" whereas, according to the police
report 342 rounds were fired. How do we account for such a large
difference?
• According to the police version, two SP's and two DSP’s were
present on a single check-post, that too on a comparatively
unimportant road, whereas the SSP himself was also near at hand.. Do
such high-ranking officers normally cluster at check-posts on
unimportant roads?
• The SSP and the SP (D) who were both present at the time of the
“encounter of Sukhdev Singh were also present during Gurjant Singh’s
“encounter”. But when most of the other fake or sometimes genuine
encounters involving militants of lesser importance are reported,
these senior officers are not present there. How is it, that these
officers are present at the time and place of only those encounters
in which the top ranking Sikh militants are about to involve
themselves?
28 November, 2007
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