PATIALA, Feb 17 (UNI): A key witness in the Khalra murder case, Kuldeep Singh, has named former Punjab DGP K P S Gill as one of the senior officials present at the spot when the body of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra was thrown into the Harike canal allegedly by the cops in 1995.
The witness, a special police officer (SPO) in Punjab Police, deposed before Additional Sessions Judge S P Bangarh here yesterday and stated that Jaswant Singh Khalra was tortured for several days in a cell and then his dead body was thrown into a canal at Harike where Gill and the then Tarn Taran SSP, the late Ajit Singh Sandhu, were also present.
Explaining the manner in which Jaswant Singh Khalra was done to death by a group of Punjab police officers, the key witness further said that Gill had also met Jaswant Singh Khalra a few days before the human rights activist was allegedly shot dead and thrown into the Harike canal.
The copies of the statements given by the key witness in the case were given to the media late last night.
SPO Kuldeep Singh stated in the court that he was attached with the then SHO Satnam Singh at Chabaat in Tarn Taran police district in 1995 as a gunman and Ajit Singh Sandhu was then the SSP, Tarn Taran, when Jaswant Singh Khalra was tortured and done to death.
The witness told the court that 15 days before Diwali in 1995, Satnam Singh gave him the keys of a room where Jaswant Singh Khalra was locked up to serve him food.
"When I went inside the room, Khalra was without turban and his clothes were torn, and there were scratch marks on his face and other body parts," the key witness stated.
He said he was also asked to keep the Khalra's custody as a secret.
The witness stated that former DGP K P S Gill had also met Jaswant Singh Khalra at the residence of the then SSP Ajit Singh Sandhu at Mannawala near Tarn Taran where Khalra was brought in a Maruti car with a number plate 'PB-02-J-245', four days before his killing.
"On way back, Khalra was told by the SHO that it was better if he had accepted the advice of K P S Gill and that would have saved him and us as well," the witness stated.
"Thereafter, one day at around 7 pm, DSP Jaspal Singh, his body guard Arvinder Singh, Sarhali SHO Surinderpal Singh, Manochahal SHO Jasbir Singh and other police officials Prithipal Singh and Balwinder Singh Gora went to the room where Khalra was lodged and again gave him sever beating." SPO Kuldeep Singh further stated that he was then asked by SHO Satnam Singh to fetch a glass of hot water but, before he could bring the hot water, he heard two gun shots in Khalra's room and then Khalra's body was taken in a Maruti van to Harike.
"The convoy reached Harike at around 10 PM and Khalra's body was thrown in the canal near village Makhu and then the cops were served liquor at a Harike rest house where SSP Ajit Singh Sandhu was also present," the witness stated.
