3 Punjab Ex-Cops Jailed for 1993 Fake Encounter That Claimed Lives of Two Youths

In a significant judgment that brings closure to a decades-old fight for justice, a special CBI court on Saturday sentenced three retired Punjab Police officers for their role in the 1993 fake encounter that led to the killing of two innocent youths from Phagwara. Former Rawalpindi SHO Manjit Singh (72) and former Phagwara City SHO Gurmej Singh (84) have been sentenced to eight years of rigorous imprisonment, while ASI Karamjit Singh (70) has been awarded three years of RI. Each of the convicted officers has also been fined ₹50,000. Meanwhile, constables Harjit Singh and Kashmir Singh were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The tragic case dates back to March 27, 1993, when Palwinder Singh alias Pappu was picked up from his house in Rawalpindi village, Kapurthala, by a police team led by ASI Karamjit Singh. On the same day, another youth, Balbir Singh from Dhade village in Phagwara, was taken into custody by then SHO Manjit Singh. According to the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), both youths were kept in illegal detention for several days.

On April 3, their arrests were formally recorded in a theft case, in which the police claimed to have recovered a scooter and a gold ring. Just hours later, the police reported that the two had escaped custody while they were being taken to recover alleged arms and ammunition. Two days later, the police claimed both Palwinder and Balbir were killed in an encounter with Sultanpur Lodhi police. In a shocking twist, the families were not informed about their deaths, and the bodies were cremated as “unclaimed.”

The long fight for justice began in 1995, when Darshan Singh, father of Palwinder Singh, filed a habeas corpus petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Following a court-ordered probe by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kapurthala, serious doubts were raised over the encounter narrative. The CJM’s report, submitted in 2003, called for an independent investigation, which led the High Court to order a CBI probe in 2005.

The CBI registered a case in October 2005 under IPC Sections 120-B, 342, 365, 364, and 302. After a thorough investigation, the chargesheet was filed on January 3, 2012, naming the three convicted officers along with Kashmir Singh and Harjit Singh, who were later acquitted.

During the trial, multiple police officials including Hardyal Singh, Nirmal Singh, and Daljit Singh—originally shown as involved in the encounter—testified that no such encounter had ever taken place. Their statements played a crucial role in dismantling the police’s fabricated story. Likewise, co-accused Kashmir Singh and Harjit Singh told the court that they had never signed any documents, including the so-called confessional statements allegedly made by the deceased youths.

CBI public prosecutor Anmol Narang and the victims’ counsel Sarabjit Singh Verka highlighted that the false narrative of arrest, escape, and a subsequent encounter was meticulously exposed through witness testimonies and official contradictions. The verdict is being seen as a hard-earned victory for the families of the victims who waited over 30 years to see justice served.

This case stands as a stark reminder of the dark phase in Punjab’s law enforcement history and reaffirms the importance of judicial oversight and the role of investigative agencies in ensuring accountability, no matter how long justice may take.