Retired Punjab DIG jailed for 7 years, ex-DSP gets life term in 1993 fake encounter case

MOHALI: Former deputy inspector general (DIG) of Punjab Dilbagh Singh was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment, while former deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Gurbachan Singh was awarded life imprisonment for the kidnapping and murder of vegetable vendor Gulshan Kumar.
Special CBI Court Judge RK Gupta had convicted the two former police officers on Thursday in the fake encounter case.The court announced the sentences today.
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The Supreme Court had handed over the investigation into large-scale cremation of unclaimed bodies to the CBI in 1995, which included the case of Gulshan Kumar based on a complaint by his father, Chaman Lal.
According to Chaman Lal's complaint, on June 22, 1993, he and his sons Parveen Kumar, Bobby Kumar, and Gulshan Kumar were taken from their residence in Tarn Taran by a police team led by DSP Dilbagh Singh and SHO City Tarn Taran, Gurbachan Singh. While Chaman Lal and his other sons were released after a few days, Gulshan Kumar remained in custody. During his detention at the City Tarn Taran Police Station, the family regularly visited and provided him with food and clothing.
However, on July 22, 1993, Gulshan Kumar was reported killed in an encounter along with three other individuals. His body was not returned to the family and was cremated as unclaimed. The other three individuals killed were later identified as Karnail and Jarnail, brothers from Zeera, and Harjinder Singh from Muradpura.
A charge sheet against DSP Dilbagh Singh, inspector Gurbachan Singh, ASI Arjun Singh, ASI Davinder Singh, and ASI Balbir Singh was filed in 1999. However, Arjun Singh, Davinder Singh, and Balbir Singh died during the trial, leading to the abatement of proceedings against them.
Although the incident occurred on July 22, 1993, charges were only framed on February 7, 2022, due to stays by higher courts. The first witness testified on April 25, 2022, nearly 30 years after the incident.
The CBI court convicted Dilbagh Singh under Section 364 of the IPC, and Gurbachan Singh under Sections 364, 302, 218, and 201 of the IPC. Today, CBI Law Officer Anmol Narang, assisted by advocate Sarabjit Singh Verka, requested life imprisonment for the convicts due to the heinous nature of the crime against an innocent vegetable vendor with no ties to terrorism.
The defense counsel argued for a minimum sentence, citing the convicts' service in anti-terrorism efforts, old age, poor health, and family backgrounds.