GURDASPUR: Shiromani Akali Dal Senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Thursday visited the residence of 19 year old Ranjit Singh in Adhian village of Gurdaspur district and met the family of the youth killed in a recent police encounter linked to the dual Punjab Police personnel murder case near the International Border.
Ranjit Singh, the only child of his parents, was killed during a police operation near Purana Shala earlier this week. His mother Sukhwinder Kaur and family members alleged that her son was killed in a fake encounter and demanded justice along with an independent investigation into the incident.
After meeting the family, Majithia said the Shiromani Akali Dal stands firmly with them and would fight for justice. He alleged that young Sikh men were being targeted under what he described as a Delhi run government in Punjab and claimed that youths from border areas were increasingly becoming victims of police action.
Demanding accountability, Majithia called for registration of a murder case under Section 302 against Punjab Chief Minister and Home Minister Bhagwant Mann and the adhoc Director General of Police. He also demanded a CBI inquiry into all encounter killings that have taken place during the tenure of the AAP led Punjab government.
As alleged by family members, the police action appears suspicious as CCTV cameras in the area allegedly went invisible during the night at the time when Ranjit Singh was encountered. The family claimed that the sudden disappearance of CCTV surveillance has raised serious doubts over the sequence of events and demanded that the matter be independently investigated to ascertain what transpired before the encounter. The encounter has raised serious questions, with opposition leaders alleging that the circumstances surrounding the killing point towards the possibility of a fake encounter.
Majithia alleged that a similar pattern was witnessed during the alleged fake encounters of the 1990s, where police versions frequently cited escape attempts and retaliatory firing. He stated that several police personnel involved in those encounters were later prosecuted and punished, adding that such incidents serve as a reminder that accountability eventually follows and that the present case must be independently investigated to establish the truth.
In a similar case, Majithia also visited the residence of martyr ASI Gurnam Singh, who was killed at the Adhiyan police post, and paid tributes while expressing solidarity with the bereaved family.