After decades of legal battle, ray of hope for 76-year-old
PK Jaiswar
Amritsar, August 27
Around 26 years after her father, a freedom fighter, and husband, vice-principal of a government school, were picked up by the Punjab Police and allegedly murdered during the days of terrorism in Punjab, Sukhwant Kaur (76) now see a ray of hope for justice.
The CBI court in Mohali has started the trial and recorded her statement in the court. “It was my last wish to get my statement recorded in the court before I die,” she said.
Sukhwant Kaur had lost three members of her family due to alleged police atrocities. Her elder son, Baljinder Singh, was killed in a fake encounter and later cremated as “unclaimed” by cops.
Her father was lodged in Lahore jail along with Sohan Singh Bhakna for taking part in “Mogha morcha” against the British Government for remodelling “moghas” (canal outlets) to decrease water supply to farmers before Independence.
She said her mother was a foster daughter of Gaddar movement founder president Sohan Singh Bhakna, while her father-in-law Ujagar Singh was a nephew of Baba Gurdit Singh, central figure of the Komagata Maru incident.
“My husband and father, who had come to meet us, were picked up by the Sarhali police in October 1992. They were kept in illegal detention for three days before their mysterious disappearance. The police later claimed that they had never picked them up,” said Sukhwant, who was a government teacher and retired as a DPI.