Oct
5
Punjab high court and human rights commission conflict
October 5, 2005 | Comments Off on Punjab high court and human rights commission conflict
The Punjab High Court and the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) have come into conflict over alleged interference in cases of police harrassment. On May 18, the court disposed of eight cases of police abuse, saying that the PSHRC had gone beyond its powers granted in the Human Rights Act and “interfered” in these […]
Sep
26
Recent news on abuses by Punjab Police
September 26, 2005 | Comments Off on Recent news on abuses by Punjab Police
Bringing the focus back to systematic human rights abuses committed by the Punjab police during the counter-insurgency of the 1980s and 1990s, a man allegedly killed in a police encounter has resurfaced: [Jagdeesh Singh Deesha] was declared dead in one such encounter in 1993 for which 24 police officials, including a serving SSP, got awards and […]
Sep
20
Police stations raided in search of missing man
September 20, 2005 | Comments Off on Police stations raided in search of missing man
In another case of “disappearance” by Punjab police, Anil Jain is missing five days after his wife saw him taken into police custody. According to his wife, Anil Jain was taken into police custody on September 15 and has not been seen since. His wife, Sangeeta Jain then filed a writ petition with the Punjab […]
Sep
15
Court orders CBI probe fifteen years after disappearance
September 15, 2005 | Comments Off on Court orders CBI probe fifteen years after disappearance
More than fifteen years after Palwinder Singh of Kapurthala was killed in a fake encounter, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has finally ordered a CBI probe into his death. The court issused these orders after Darshan Singh, Palwinder Singh’s father, filed a petition to establish an independent probe into the case. Darshan Singh says […]
Sep
10
Police beat and prevent man under trial from appearing in court
September 10, 2005 | Comments Off on Police beat and prevent man under trial from appearing in court
On September 8, Balwinder Singh, a man under trial, was beaten by Punjab police officers at a Ludhiana court and prevented from appearing before the judge. An Indian Express correspondent saw seven to eight police officers shoving Balwinder Singh into a van. He shouted to the correspendent: My name is Balwinder Singh. I am facing […]
Sep
7
10 Year Anniversary of the Disappearance of Human Rights Defender Jaswant Singh Khalra
September 7, 2005 | Comments Off on 10 Year Anniversary of the Disappearance of Human Rights Defender Jaswant Singh Khalra
Ten years ago on September 6, 1995, Indian security forces abducted human rights defender Jaswant Singh Khalra because of his courageous work exposing the “disappearances” and killings of thousands of Sikhs in the state of Punjab. Indian security forces subsequently tortured and murdered Mr. Khalra in late October 1995. A decade on, the Indian government has failed […]
Sep
7
Recent Punjab Developments
September 7, 2005 | Comments Off on Recent Punjab Developments
Another case of torture in Punjab has come to light. Raghubir Singh claims he was tortured and implicated in a false case because he refused to pay the police an extortion fee for settling a matrimonial dispute: “Manvir sided with my wife throughout. He abused me and then the police locked me in a dark […]
Aug
22
Human Rights Commission: 80% of Complaints are about Police
August 22, 2005 | Comments Off on Human Rights Commission: 80% of Complaints are about Police
A delegation of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission stated that 80% of the complaints received by the Commission concern police abuses: Justice Anand [the Chairperson] said Punjab police personnel were the main violators of human rights in the state and should urgently amend themselves. ‘‘The regular occurrence of incident of custodial violence, rape and deaths, […]
Aug
20
Detainee Held Under Counter-Insurgency Law Speaks Out
August 20, 2005 | 1 Comment
85-year old Gurdev Singh has spent 12.5 years in jail in Punjab, India under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA). TADA, enacted in May 1985, comprised part of the laws instituted during the police counter-insurgency campaign in Punjab. This act lapsed in 1995, but the Indian government continues to detain people under TADA, for offences […]
Aug
11
Canadian agency grant for KPS Gill
August 11, 2005 | Comments Off on Canadian agency grant for KPS Gill
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), a federal body, has granted an $85,000 grant to the Institute of Conflict Management headed by KPS Gill, the controversial former Punjab Director General of Police who organized systematic human rights abuses in Punjab. The Institute of Conflict Management is a New Delhi-based think tank founded by KPS Gill, […]