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| In twin Narwal Mandi murders, SIT gained time to implicate Nalwa, others, observes court | | A typical case of police repression, highhandedness | | Bharat Bhushan
Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 27: At a time when J&K police are fighting for respect and emphasis is being given by DGP K Rajendra and his team to develop cordial relations with people through police-public meets, this particular case has surely put an unerasable blot on their reputation. This is a typical case of "Police Raj" where the role of state law enforcing agency has been highly repressive, unlawful and condemnable. In the February 5, 2010 Narwal Mandi twin murders of fruit merchants - Gurnam Singh alias Manga of Sainik Colony and his maternal uncle Rajinder Singh of Karan Bagh, Satwari -- SIT (special investigation team) has been accused of adopting delaying tactics to introduce the theory of conspiracy to implicate Ranjodh Singh alias Nalwa and others.
Narwal Mandi falls under the jurisdiction of Bahu Fort police station. When this incident occured, Vijay Singh Choudhary was its SHO. The court of principal sessions judge, Jammu, has observed that if the statement of Choudhary, who had investigated the case, is to be believed, he interrogated accused Milkha Singh and Ajit Singh on February 21, 2010 and they disclosed about the January 31, 2010 meeting in which a conspiracy was allegedly hatched to eliminate Rajinder and Gurnam. Satinder Singh alias Babbu and Manmohan Singh alias Jajji were also said to be present in the meeting.
From the statements of Babbu and Jajji, the court concluded that they were planted witnesses. "They are categoric in stating that from January 31, 2010 to February 22, 2010, they did not inform police or any other person about the conspiracy. They have blown hot and cold in the same breath by stating that they were summoned by a cop to the police station and then say that they were called to the police station on February 21, 2010. How did police come to know that they were witnesses of conspiracy? This has not been explained by the prosecution. If the statement of SIT incharge Kuldeep Singh Jasrotia is to be believed, the duo themselves came to the police station on February 21, 2010 and police then came to know about the conspiracy for the first time. He then states that on February 2, 2010, he and then investigating officer knew that Babbu and Jajji had participated in the January 31 meeting but they did not try to search for them to lay hands on the information in this regard. Why didn't they try to search for the two? This has not been explained by him, leading to the conclusion that they were planted later after due deliberations and consultations," the court said in its judgement.
"One fails to understand why Babbu and Jajji were not traced till February 21, 2010 to unearth the conspiracy hatched by the accused," the court said and observed that the SHO had no explanation to it.
"It is not the case of the prosecution that the witnesses were not available in Jammu during those days. Thus the possibility cannot be ruled out that the SIT gained time to give a particular shape to the case and introduce the theory of conspiracy to implicate other accused also. This has rendered the prosecution story suspicious and highly doubtful and concocted. For the foregoing reasons, it can be comfortably and without any doubt concluded that the charge of conspiracy levelled against Ranjodh Singh alias Nalwa, Narinder Singh alias Pammi, Ajmer Singh alias Vicky and Jeet Kumar alias Jeeta fails. They are therefore acquitted of the charge framed against them," the court ordered.
The prosecution case is that on February 5, 2010, accused Milkha Singh, Jatinder Singh alias Kala, Paramjit Singh alias Pammy, Ajeet Singh alias Kaka and Jeet Kumar alias Jeeta came to the fruit market at about 5.30 or 5.40 pm in a Maruti car (JK02V/3812) and allegedly hit Rajinder Singh as a result of which he fell down. They then alighted from the car and allegedly attacked Rajinder and Gurnam with lethal weapons. While Gurnam died on the spot, Rajinder succumbed to his injuries on way to a hospital in Ludhiana. The three eyewitnesses in the case included Surinder Singh alias Kala, Davinder Singh alias Bunty and Gurvinder Singh. Kala is brother of Gurnam.
In its order made on January 16, 2014, the court sentenced accused Ajeet Singh alias Kaka, Jatinder Singh alias Kala, Paramjeet Singh alias Pammi, Milkha Singh and Ajeet Kumar alias Jeeta to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life for the commission of offence falling under section 302/149 of RPC. They were also fined Rs 10,000 each.
According to police sources, Nalwa, and victim Gurnam's brother Surinder Singh jointly own shop No 117 at Narwal Fruit Mandi and are business partners also. They have put up a weighing bridge there.
After the incident, one of the accused called up Nalwa and asked him to speak to SHO Choudhary on their behalf and request him to entertain their FIR also. Since Nalwa, a law graduate, knew the SHO, he telephoned him and urged him to listen to the accused too. Till that time, no one knew that Gurnam and Rajinder had died, sources said.
Nalwa's phone call landed him in trouble, the sources added, alleging that he was hanged upside down in the police lockup and then subjected to inhuman torture. He was also booked under PSA as per the April 4, 2014 district magistrate order but the detention order was later revoked by the state government.
Sources said there had been a dispute between the two sides over the loading and unloading of fruit. A day before the gory incident, the accused had approached the concerned police with a complaint against the victims. Had the police acted on time, the incident may have been averted and the two precious lives saved, the sources added. |
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