The Last Killing

A Film by Ensaaf

Description

Satwant Singh Manak joined the Punjab Police to provide his family with a stable income. However, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, in response to an insurgency, Indian security forces committed systematic and widespread torture, disappearances, and unlawful killings in Punjab. Manak silently witnessed the torture and executions of 15 unarmed individuals at the hands of his fellow police officials. The killing of Kulwant Singh, a teenager who had graduated from 10th grade, deeply affected Manak. No longer able to suppress his conscience and the horror of what he witnessed, he resigned from his job and filed a case against his fellow police officials. That case covers ten of the victims.

I will not be intimidated. I will not be scared, nor intimidated, nor sold.

— Satwant Singh Manak

His courage came at a great cost. The police brutally tortured Manak, fatally tortured his father, and threatened his family. Despite such persecution, Manak has continued the fight for justice for over two decades. The film, The Last Killing, follows him as he organizes the families of the victims to attend a hearing at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

He [Manak’s father] would say to me, “Son, the work you have started, you have to see it through, even though there will be a lot of obstacles.” And I would say to him: “Father I just need your hand, as long as your hand is by my side, I will not be brought down by them. I just need your blessing.” When we met [for the last time], he told me, “the step that you’ve taken, don’t turn back from it. Know that you will face a lot of obstacles because of this, just remember the Gurus and continue moving forward.”

— Satwant Singh Manak

BACKGROUND

Satwant Singh Manak joined the Punjab Police in March 1985. From November 1991 through 1993, he served at CIA (Criminal Intelligence Agency) Staff in Moga. During that time, he witnessed 15 to 16 unlawful killings, and is now fighting a case on behalf of 10 of those victims’ families. “They would plant LMGs [Light Machine Guns], grenades, and assault [rifles] on these people,” Manak recounted. “They would take the assault [rifles] from their own necks and show on TV that they had captured these.”

The police responded to Manak’s refusal to participate in gross human rights violations while serving in the police force by torturing him for 42 days and filing false cases against him. Manak described his torture to Ensaaf: “I can show you this scar [points to thigh] of my thighs being ripped open. There is no body part that wasn’t touched.” He described the methods of torture his interrogators used against him, including stretching his legs apart more than 180 degrees, rolling a heavy wooden log on his thighs while three police officials stood or sat atop it, and water-boarding, among other methods.

Armed with detailed information on the abuses committed by the police, Manak filed a case in the Punjab & Haryana High Court in October 1994, asking the Court to order the Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate the faked encounters. “Ordinarily, the case should have been immediately decided because ultimately, what is this case about? This case is about registering the crime and investigating it. Then putting the guilty person on trial,” human rights advocate Rajvinder S. Bains told Ensaaf. The case named the officers responsible for the torture and unlawful killings of each victim, as well as senior police officers who Manak had informed of the crimes.

POLICE ABUSE CONTINUES

When the courts acquitted Manak in the false cases and he filed the High Court case on behalf of the ten victim families, the police tortured his father and other family members, attempted to bribe Manak, and filed false documents in court to support their version, among other tactics.

The Punjab Police’s brutal torture of Manak’s father led to his death. “They picked him up on five occasions,” remembered Manak. “They would humiliate him and beat him. Then in 1996, the police interrogated him too much. As a result of complications from the interrogation, my father passed away.” Manak recounted his father’s support of the case: “He said this path I am traveling down is very difficult. However, take this battle to the fullest extent. He told me not to back down in this mission. When I came to collect his dead body, I swore to myself that this is my blood and I will ensure justice is served. I swore that I wouldn't be bought out with land or money…. He told me this is a path of Sikhism. He told me that someone who follows this path is blessed with good fortune.”

Manak described other inducements offered by the police if he would drop the case. “Many individuals came and promised [water] pumps, permits, 50,000 rupees, and enlistment for my brother." he told Ensaaf. Bakshi Ram, then promoted to Inspector General of Punjab Police, offered Manak anything he desired. Manak responded to him, saying, “I want justice, if you can give that to me, then give it. If you can give back the…innocent lives taken, then give them back. Then I will withdraw it all.”

Because the police constantly monitored him and shadowed his movements in Punjab, and relentlessly harassed and persecuted his family, Manak had to flea to other parts of India and lived underground for nearly 8 years. Manak’s family has supported him throughout his fight for justice. “The way my wife and my in-laws’ family supported me, I pray to God that they always be blessed. Because my family was very poor, we did not have any property. We were day laborers and that’s how we spent our time.” His in-laws sold land to support Manak and his struggle, and took care of his children while he was on the run. “My wife responded to each brick with stone,” Manak said.

HIGH COURT CASE

In fighting for justice for the victims of the faked encounters, Manak faced severe judicial delay as well as a corrupt attorney. Manak filed the petition in October 1994, but the court did not admit the petition until May 15, 1995. In its reply, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) argued against Manak’s case seeking a court ordered investigation, stating that Manak’s petition was based on his personal grievances, his “allegations were vague in nature,” and there was no explanation given for why he waited “such a long time after the commission of the alleged offences.” The High Court gave no direction for a hearing of the petition.

In 2002, Manak filed a petition through his attorney Daljit S. Rajput for setting a hearing date, and notice was issued. During that time period, the police won over his attorney. Rajput filed an application to withdraw Manak’s petition without Manak’s consent. To reverse the damage, in January 2004, Manak himself had to appear in Court to state that he did not wish to withdraw the petition and that his attorney had acted against his wishes. The Court appointed another attorney, and Manak in the meantime secured the representation of human rights attorney Rajvinder S. Bains. In 2007, Bains filed an application for a hearing date.

In April 2008, Justice Ranjit Singh ordered an investigation by the CBI. Justice Ranjit Singh wrote, “The stand of the State continues to be to stone wall any attempt to have a fair and proper investigation by an independent agency…. Some of the respondents are holding high positions in the police department and even still are serving as police officers.” Further, Justice Ranjit Singh discussed the evidence and how the details in the post mortem reports indicated firing from a close range, as would not occur in encounter killings. Justice Singh stated, “The story projected by the police in all cases of death is almost identical.” The police subsequently appealed Justice Ranjit Singh’s order, and a judicial panel stayed the decision to investigate.

The merits of the appeal were finally heard on September 3, 2013, nineteen years after the original petition was filed. The Court decision is pending. “The way the Indian system operates is they actually do not, in theory, ever acknowledge that they don’t follow the law. But yet, they defeat the law by delaying it, by delaying it, by delaying it,” said Bains, reflecting on the Court’s failure to so far order a CBI investigation. Bains described the oral arguments to Ensaaf, “The judges were sold on the police officers’ argument…. They were not accepting even his statement that he is an eye-witness…. The real issue is when they were tortured and killed, [Manak] witnessed that episode. They killed, [Manak] witnessed that episode. They were saying he was not an eyewitness to the encounter. Our answer was the encounter is fake. The encounter as described has never taken place. [Manak] can’t possibly be an eyewitness of an encounter which has never happened.”

Despite these obstacles, Manak continues to work with the families to fight for justice for their loved ones.

Awards
  • Best Documentary Short at New Filmmakers Los Angeles "Best of 2014"
  • Amnesty International Best Human Rights Short Award at Isle of Wight Film Festival 2014
  • Best Short Documentary at Sikh International Film Festival 2014 - Sikh Art & Film Festival
  • Official Selection at International Film Festival of Cinematic Arts - IFFCA 2014 Los Angeles
  • Official Selection at UNSPOKEN Human Rights Film Festival 2014
  • Creative Media Award at Sikhlens - Sikh Art & Film Festival 2013
Related Material
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    Nirmal Singh was between 22 and 25 years old when police unlawfully killed him in 1992. He worked as a day laborer and lived in Moga district. Nirmal Singh was married to Manjit Kaur and had one child born six months after his execution.

    Prior to the detention leading to his killing, police detained and tortured Nirmal Singh. His brother Baura Singh describes that the policemen “applied rollers, tore [Nirmal Singh’s] groins, and hung [him] upside down to brutally beat [him] with sticks.” After the torture, “blood started coming out of [Nirmal Singh’s] mouth,” and the policemen released Nirmal Singh. After Nirmal Singh recovered, policemen came to his home again to take him into custody. Afraid of the police, Nirmal Singh ran away. Baura Singh describes, “The Bhagha Purana police brutally beat my father and the women of our family with sticks in our home. After this, the policemen also brutally beat my mother and Nirmal Singh’s wife in the police station. During the beating, police hung them upside down and hit them with sticks.” The policemen demanded that Nirmal Singh’s family present him to them. They released his father and the women of his family after keeping them in custody for 15 days and beating them.

    In March 1992, ten to 12 uniformed policemen from Bhaga Purana police station took custody of Nirmal Singh from his home. Nirmal Singh’s spouse and other relatives witnessed the abduction. A week later, security officials from Criminal Intelligence Agency Staff executed Nirmal Singh near a river in Faridkot. Nirmal Singh’s family learned of his execution through a report in the Ajit newspaper, which described the execution as a genuine encounter.

    Manak witnessed the police torture and execute both Nirmal Singh and Baljinder Singh in the same faked encounter. In his legal case papers, Manak implicates the following police officers in these crimes: Inspector Gurmej Singh Dhola and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bachan Singh Randhawa in both cases, and two additional policemen in Baljinder Singh’s case: Sub Inspector (SI) Hardial Singh Malhi and Head Constable Om Parkash.

  • Baljinder Singh

    I had been married for six years. On March 2nd, it had been six years, and on March 20th, the police abducted him. On April 6th, the newspaper reported that he had been killed in an encounter. To this day, I have not received his death certificate.

    — Inderjeet Kaur

    Baljinder Singh, alias Balwinder Singh, was 34 years old when police extrajudicially executed him. He was married to Inderjeet Kaur, had three children, and lived in Faridkot district. Baljinder Singh worked for the Punjab State Electricity Board.

    On March 20, 1992, 20 to 25 uniformed Punjab policemen from Faridkot took Baljinder Singh into custody from his relative’s home in village Ghaniewala in Faridkot district. He had gone there to visit his wife, who was staying with her parents after having given birth some days earlier. His wife and relatives witnessed his abduction. Police detained Baljinder Singh at Faridkot police station for 16 days from March 20, 1992 to April 5, 1992. Baljinder Singh’s wife and sister-in-law witnessed his detention at Faridkot police station. His wife Inderjeet Kaur explains, “When our relatives gathered together and went to Faridkot police station, police said, ‘You should not worry. We will release Baljinder Singh.’ Police kept stalling us in this manner for one week.” She adds, “Then, after eight to nine days, SHO Naginder Singh and some other police [officials] took my husband to my parental village Ghaniewala. At that time, I was in village Ghumiara. My sister-in-law told me about this afterwards. She told me that Baljinder Singh’s health was not good. Upon seeing him, it looked as if police had brutally beaten him.”

    After one day, police allowed Inderjeet Kaur to meet her husband in Faridkot’s Kotwali police station. Her husband told her, “Police have brutally tortured me. They hit me with clubs, hung me upside down and beat me; [they] tore my groins, and keep asking me to tell them where my militant associates are.” On April 5, 1992, security officials from CIA Staff Moga executed Baljinder Singh near the Badni drain in Faridkot district. Manak witnessed the execution. Baljinder Singh’s family learned of his killing through a report published in the Ajit newspaper on April 6, 1992. Inderjeet Kaur explains, “We learned…from a police employee [Manak] that, after torturing Baljinder Singh, DSP Bachan Singh Randhawa cut off his head and separated the head from the body. Then, [he] tore open his stomach with a sword. After that, [he] threw [him] into...the river.”Manak witnessed the police torture and execute both Nirmal Singh and Baljinder Singh in the same faked encounter. In his legal case papers, Manak implicates the following police officers in these crimes: Inspector Gurmej Singh Dhola, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bachan Singh Randhawa in both cases, and two additional policemen in Baljinder Singh’s case: Sub Inspector (SI) Hardial Singh Malhi and Head Constable Om Parkash.

  • Kulwant Singh Kanta

    Kulwant Singh Kanta was a 15 to 16 year old young man, who had passed the 10th grade. I unlocked Kulwant Singh Kanta’s handcuffs, and sat back in the [police] car.
    I watched the entire scene unfold from there. An innocent child, who had studied in tenth grade, who had yet to experience the world, and they killed him. So I decided to leave this job. And I raised my voice against the police.

    — Satwant Singh Manak

    Kulwant Singh, also known as Kanta, was 15 to 20 years old when police unlawfully killed him. Kulwant Singh had completed 10th grade, lived in Faridkot district, and worked as a farmer.

    According to Kulwant Singh’s brother Jangeer Singh, on April 2, 1992, five to six uniformed Punjab policemen from Moga beat Kulwant Singh and took him into custody from his relative’s home in village Thatha Kishan Singh in Firozpur district. The police party included ASI Gurcharan Singh, ASI Manjit Singh, and ASI Ajmer Singh. Kulwant Singh’s cousin and aunt or uncle witnessed the abduction but security forces did not inform the witnesses about where they were taking him. The family learned that police detained Kulwant Singh at CIA Staff in Moga for five days between April 2, 1992 and April 6, 1992.

    On April 6, 1992, police from CIA Staff Moga executed Kulwant Singh near the drain in village Raoke in Moga district. Manak later informed the family that security forces had killed Kulwant Singh in a fake encounter. Jangeer Singh told Ensaaf, “Satwant Singh Manak… used to be a police employee, but he left his job [with the] police after witnessing police brutality with the poor. [Satwant Singh] told us, ‘… [Security forces] clubbed [Kulwant Singh], hung him upside down to beat him, and tore his groin. On the third day, [they] took [him] to the bridge in village Raoke… [And] opened fire on Kulwant Singh and killed [him].’”

    In his legal case papers, Satwant Singh Manak implicates Inspector Gurmej Singh Dhola and ASI Surjit Singh in the torture and murder of Kulwant Singh. He further states that the police killed Kulwant Singh with Baldev Singh.

  • Baldev Singh

    Baldev Singh was 40 to 45 years old when police killed him. He worked as a farmer and a truck driver and lived in Faridkot district. Baldev Singh was married to Baljit Kaur and had three children. Baljit Kaur describes her husband as a “very kind” and “gentle individual”. The police illegally detained Baldev Singh three times prior to his execution.

    In spring 1992, two uniformed security officials and one man dressed in civil clothes from the Punjab Police from Faridkot took Baldev Singh into custody from a railroad crossing. According to Manak, SHO Naginder Singh Rana was part of the police party. Baldev Singh’s friend witnessed the abduction and security forces told him they were taking Baldev Singh to Faridkot police station.

    In April 1992, security officials of the Punjab Police from Faridkot executed Baldev Singh. Baljit Kaur learned about her husband’s death from Manak, who implicates SHO Darshan Singh, DSP Bachan Singh Randhawa, and SI Hardial Singh Malhi in the killing. Kulwant Singh Kanta was also executed in the same incident.

  • Baljit Singh

    The lawyer said that he should be shackled. That way, the police can’t claim that he escaped from custody. The judge granted the police one day custody. He was to be presented in court on November 29, 1992. But that same night police killed Baljit Singh in a fake encounter. After that, they claimed that he had escaped from custody. A brother is your right arm. I remember him at every moment.

    — Jagroop Singh

    Baljit Singh, also known as Baldev Singh, had passed 10th grade and worked as a reader of religious scriptures. He lived in Moga district. Police had detained Baljit Singh on one prior occasion, before the detention leading to his death.

    In early 1992, the police issued a warrant for Baljit Singh because of allegations that militants visited him. After being on the run for 20 days, Baljit Sing’s family and other individuals presented him at the City police station in Moga on March 19, 1992. That same evening, the police took Baljit Singh to CIA Staff Moga, where they detained him for 18 days. A co-detainee witnessed Baljeet Singh in custody and reported that police tortured Baljit Singh. Jagroop Singh describes, “The police tore [Baljit Singh’s] groin and applied rollers on him. My brother was electrocuted. He was hung upside down and dunked in water. This was not regular water; police mixed chilies in this water and dunked the face. When my brother would start to writhe and wriggle, they [police] would remove him [from the water].”

    On April 8, 1992, the police moved Baljit Singh to Mehna police station in Moga. Another person witnessed Baljit Singh in custody and reported that Baljeet Singh was tortured badly. A police intermediary, who had been present when his family first presented Baljit Singh to the police, informed Jagroop Singh that police wanted Rs. 20,000 or would stage a faked encounter of Baljit Singh. Baljit Singh’s family gave the money to the police officers and police officers presented Baljit Singh at Moga court the following day, filing false cases against him. The judge sent Baljit Singh to Moga jail where he spent three months. Jagroop Singh visited him in jail. In July, Baljit Singh was shifted to Faridkot jail for five months. Again, Jagroop Singh visited him.

    On November 28, 1992, the Moga Sadar police presented Baljit Singh in front of a judge. Baljit Singh’s lawyer was present. Baljit Singh told the judge, “Do not grant the remand. Otherwise, police will take me from here and kill me.” His lawyer requested, “Give the command to apply shackles so that even if police officers kill [Baljit Singh], they cannot say that he ran away.” That night, Gurmej Singh Dhola of P.S. Mehna, Naginder Singh Rana and other officers from CIA Staff executed Baljit Singh. They claimed he escaped despite his shackles. The lawyer informed Jagroop Singh, “[T]he police’s response was that [Baljit Singh] broke the shackles and ran away.”

  • Satwant Singh Sodhi

    They put a blanket down and had him take his clothes off. With his clothes off, they made him lay down on his back and beat him with batons. Then they flipped him over. This means they flip him on his stomach and fit a long stick here [points to back side of knees underneath the thighs]...They bend the legs up and have them reach the individuals head. It causes all the nerves and insides of the stomach area to break. This is how much they interrogated him. …When my duty was over at 2 o’clock, the officers got tired of beating him as well. They told me to take him to lockup. I took him away…. When the next officer came on duty after me, [Satwant Singh] asked for the fan to be turned on because his head hurt. I mean his whole body was battered and broken, his head was going to be in pain…. His body was unable to handle the trauma and he died at 4 o’clock. The police took him to the Nihal Singh river, cut his body up, cut open his stomach, and threw him into the river.

    — Satwant Singh Manak

    Satwant Singh Sodhi served as president of the All India Sikh Students Federation for his area. Prior to the detention leading to his killing, police detained and tortured Satwant Singh three other times.

    Between August 15, 1991 and September 15, 1991, 10 uniformed security officials from Moga police took custody of Satwant Singh from the Kotkapura Bypass in Moga district. Along with Satwant Singh, police also took into custody Hardeep Singh, son of Bikkar Singh, and resident of village Chogawan in Moga district. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bachan Singh Randhawa of the Punjab Police from Moga was involved in the incident. Hardeep Singh informed Satwant Singh’s family about his detention. Satnaam Singh, Satwant Singh’s brother, learned that police detained Satwant Singh at the CIA Staff in Moga for 15 days. At some point from September 1, 1991 to October 30, 1991, security officials of the Punjab Police from Moga executed Satwant Singh in the village fields near the canal in village Badhni Kalan in Moga district. Manak informed the family that Satwant Singh was tortured before his execution. Satnaam Singh, his brother, said: “The Moga CIA Staff brutally beat [Satwant Singh] and tore his groin. He was hung upside down and rollers were applied [on him].”

    According to Manak, the police dumped his body in the canal. Manak implicates DSP Bachan Singh Randhawa, Head Constable Gurdev Singh, and SI Hardial Singh Malhi in Satwant Singh’s torture and execution.

  • Gurmukh Singh

    Gurmukh Singh was 21 to 22 years old, married to Kuldeep Kaur, and had two children. He was a graduate student and also worked as a farmer. Prior to the detention leading to his killing, the police detained and tortured Gurmukh Singh on two occasions, and also persecuted his family members.

    Between August 31, 1991 and September 29, 1991, 20 to 22 uniformed security officials of the Punjab Police from CIA Staff Moga took custody of Gurmukh Singh from a roadside in village Landeke in Moga district. Malagar Singh, his father, describes that Gurmukh Singh “had gone to get some things for the tractor from Moga. [Gurmukh Singh] was returning home when the CIA Staff, Moga, took my son and a tractor mechanic into custody from the bus near village Landeke (Moga)”. DSP Randhawa of the Punjab Police from CIA Staff Moga was involved in the incident. A co-villager and a bus driver witnessed the incident and informed the family. After family members inquired at various police stations for three days, DSP Randhawa said, “You will not find [Gurmukh Singh] even if you run everywhere.”

    Gurmukh Singh’s family learned of his execution through a witness who saw Gurmukh Singh’s body at the hospital. Satwant Singh Manak gave Gurmukh Singh’s family further information on his execution: “[They] killed Gurmukh [Singh] through brutally beating him at CIA Staff, Moga. And after keeping him for two hours, [they] took [him] to village Kokri Kalan (Moga), opened fire, and staged an encounter.” According to Manak, the police killed Gurmukh Singh along with Bahal Singh and Kehar Singh, as well as a fourth unknown individual.

  • Nachattar Singh

    The police asked Nachattar Singh whether he can recognize [an alleged militant]. He said that he can…. They cut his hair and beard, they made him completely clean-shaven so no one could recognize that he is Nachattar Singh. They kept him for about 15 days in which time they weren’t able to locate [the alleged militant]. After that they interrogated Nachattar Singh and killed him in a false police encounter.

    — Satwant Singh Manak

    Nachattar Singh, also known as Fauji, was 52 years old when police killed him. He worked as a security guard at a bank in village Bhagha Purana in Moga district. He was married to Amarjeet Kaur with whom he had three children.

    Sometime from February 15, 1993 and March 15, 1993, 20 to 25 uniformed policemen from Badhni Kalan beat and took custody of Nachattar Singh from his home. Inspector Darshan Singh of the Punjab Police from Badhni Kalan was involved in the incident. Nachattar Singh’s parents witnessed the incident. Gurcharan Singh, his brother, learned that police detained Nachattar Singh at Badhni Kalan police station in Moga for 15 days. Gurcharan Singh explains, “Then after a few days, my other brother, Darshan Singh, gathered some men from the village and went after my brother, Nachattar Singh, to Badhni Kalan police station, but the police also took him into custody. Due to fear of the police, we did not go after [Nachattar Singh and Darshan Singh].”

    Sometime in March 1993, security officials of the Punjab Police from Badhni Kalan executed Nachattar Singh near the drain in village Badhni Kalan. Nachattar Singh’s family learned about his killing through a report in the Ajit newspaper, which described the killing as a genuine encounter. Security officials did not return Nachattar Singh’s body to his family. Gurcharan Singh explains, “After a few days, a police official … told [us] that the police brutally tortured Nachattar Singh. The police hung him upside down, hit him with clubs, tore his groins, pulled his nails, and brutally beat him into a very bad condition.” Nachittar Singh’s brother Darshan Singh remains “disappeared” to this day.

    After a few days, Nachattar Singh’s family approached Inspector Darshan Singh at the Badhni Kalan police station to inquire about the killings. He responded, “Whatever was going to happen has happened. You should not run away – stay at home and farm.” That night, security officials from Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district took custody of Gurcharan Singh. Gurcharan Singh describes, “At Sirhind CIA staff, they brutally beat me. The police hung me upside down. The police would drink at night and then brutally beat me. [They] removed all my clothes, laid me upside down, and hit me with straps. [They] also beat me with clubs and tore my groin.” Security officials also took custody of Nachattar Singh’s son and took him to Sirhind CIA Staff in Fatehgarh Sahib district. The police beat and detained Gurcharan Singh and Nachattar Singh’s son for 20 to 25 days. The village council of village Daudhar Sharki in Moga district got Gurcharan Singh and Nachattar Singh’s son released. Manak implicates the following police officers in the torture and killing of Nachattar Singh: SI Darshan Singh Lahor, SI Hardial Singh Malhi, and DSP Bachan Singh Randhawa.

  • Bahal Singh

    One main thing the police did while committing false encounters is that they would change the clothing of the individuals. They would change the individual’s clothing and shoot his face in order to make the individual unidentifiable.

    — Satwant Singh Manak

    Bahal Singh was a 36-year old farmer when the police killed him. He was married to Amarjit Kaur and had five children. Amandeep Singh describes his father as a “very gentle” individual. Prior to killing him, the police had taken Bahal Singh into custody and tortured him on one to two occasions.

    In October or November 1991, seven to eight uniformed Punjab policemen from Mehna took Bahal Singh into custody from a bus stand. Police also took two other individuals into custody along with Bahal Singh. They are identified as Kehar Singh, son of Suhawa Singh and a resident of village Padhri in Firozpur district; and Gurmukh Singh, a resident of village Langeana in Faridkot district. The family learned that police detained Bahal Singh at Mehna police station for two to three days. Police demanded 5,000 rupees from his family in exchange for Bahal Singh’s release. Sometime in October or November 1991, security officials of the Punjab Police executed Bahal Singh near the kiln in village Kokri Kalan. Police also killed Kehar Singh and Gurmukh Singh along with him.

    Following Bahal Singh’s killing, the family approached the Punjab Police of Mehna to inquire about the killing, and security forces admitted to killing Bahal Singh in an encounter.

  • Kehar Singh

    One main thing the police did while committing false encounters is that they would change the clothing of the individuals. They would change the individual’s clothing and shoot his face in order to make the individual unidentifiable.

    — Satwant Singh Manak

    Kehar Singh was a farmer and 25 years old when the police killed him. Police took him into custody and tortured him once prior to the detention leading to his killing.Sometime in October or November 1991, uniformed Punjab policemen from Mehna beat Kehar Singh and took him into custody from a bus station in Moga. Two other individuals were taken into custody with Kehar Singh. They are identified as Bahal Singh, son of Hari Singh and a resident of village Padhri in Firozpur district; and Gurmukh Singh, a resident of village Langiana in Moga district. Police presented Kehar Singh before a judge or magistrate throughout this detention period and he was sent back to detention.In October or November 1991, Punjab policemen from Moga executed Kehar Singh near the kiln in village Kokri Kalan. According to Manak, police also executed Gurmukh Singh and Bahal Singh at the same time. Manak implicates SI Baldev Singh, Head Constable Gurdev Singh, and DSP Bachan Singh Randhawa in the killing of both men.

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Mapping the Killings

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Rajvinder S. Bains:
This procedure has failed completely.

Rajvinder S. Bains, a human rights attorney in the Punjab & Haryana High Court for over 20 years, discusses his experiences with the High Court in cases filed on behalf of victims of disappearances or extrajudicial executions. (Oct. 2007)

Mohinder Singh:
What justice can we get from here?

Mohinder Singh discusses the abduction and murder of his son by the Punjab police and his pursuit of numerous avenues of justice. (Oct. 2007)

Tarlochan Singh:
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In an SBS Dateline program on Punjab, Geoff Parish discusses the Punjab governments offer of compensation to 17 families, with no investigation or admission of liability by the state, in the Punjab mass cremations case. Gurcharan Singh rejected this offer. (Apr. 2002, Uploaded with permission from SBS.)

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An SBS Dateline program on Punjab describes human rights defender Jaswant Singh Khalras discovery of the Punjab polices use of secret cremations to hide evidence of extrajudicial executions. The clip includes an interview with human rights activist Ram Narayan Kumar. (Apr. 2002, Uploaded with permission from SBS.)

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On the 30th Anniversary of Operation Bluestar, Ensaaf presents an eyewitness account of the Indian Army attack on The Harmandir Sahib Complex in Amritsar, Punjab, from June 1 and June 6, 1984. This exclusive interview reveals how the Indian Army intentionally killed thousands of civilians and used excessive force during this assault.

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November 28, 2013

On November 26, 2013, the Punjab & Haryana High Court allowed the appeal of the State of Punjab and reversed and nullified the decision of the Single Judge directing investigation by the CBI. Not only did it refuse to order an inquiry into Satwant Singh Manak’s allegations that he witnessed the Punjab Police torture and unlawfully kill ten people, it also fined Manak, ordering him to pay 2,000 rupees to each of the accused police officers.
 

A Labor Of Love: Contesting Impunity

On July 23, 1989, Punjab Police officers abducted, tortured, and unlawfully killed 35-year old Sikh community leader Kuljit Singh Dhatt. For 25 years, his family has relentlessly pursued justice, attending over a hundred hearings, petitioning various courts and commissions, and enduring police harassment and intimidation of witnesses. On May 9, 2014, a judge convicted three police officers of abduction in order to murder Kuljit Singh Dhatt, sentencing them to a mere five years. The legal battle continues, now in the higher courts.

Navkiran Kaur Khalra:
“We are proud of what our father did.”

Navkiran Kaur Khalra, daughter of murdered human rights defender Jaswant Singh Khalra, recounts her family’s struggle for justice and her father’s discovery of thousands of killings and secret cremations by the Punjab police to hide evidence of wrongdoing. (Oct. 2007)

Jaswant Singh Khalra: Last International Speech – The Struggle for Truth

In his last speech made to a Canadian audience, Jaswant Singh Khalra discusses his investigations into the thousands of illegal killings and secret cremations by the Punjab police and his readiness to die to expose the truth about these crimes. Jaswant Singh Khalra begins his speech with a moving fable about the struggle of truth and light against expanding darkness. He recounts how he traced the fate of many disappeared Sikhs to Amritsar’s municipal cremation grounds. Through government records obtained from these municipalities, Khalra exposed a detailed history of systematic human rights violations in which security forces abducted, murdered, and secretly cremated an estimated 6,017 Sikhs in Amritsar district alone–then one of 13 districts in Punjab–from 1984 to 1995. (Apr. 1995)

Paramjit Kaur Khalra on Impunity in Punjab

In this video, Paramjit Kaur Khalra describes the need for a truth commission to redress the thousands of disappearances and killings in Punjab, India perpetrated during the counterinsurgency of 1984 to 1995. In September and October 1995, Indian security forces illegally detained, tortured, and killed her husband, human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, for his work uncovering over 2,000 cases of extrajudicial executions and secret cremations in Amritsar district alone. On November 4, 2011, India’s Supreme Court upheld life imprisonment for five officers involved in Khalra’s unlawful abduction, torture, and killing. Mrs. Khalra continues to seek justice for the all victims of illegal killings and disappearances.

Seeking Ensaaf

On Human Rights Day, we share this documentary to show you how your support helps us document abuses on the ground. Seeking Ensaaf, filmed by Andrew Heskett, Ryan Westra, and David Thompson, recipients of the Sikh Scholarship Program at Chapman University, in August 2013, follows Ensaaf field workers as they document a case of extrajudicial killing in Punjab. Thank you for joining us on this journey to end impunity and achieve justice for the disappearances and unlawful killings of the Decade of Disappearances in Punjab.

A Light of Justice: Commemorating Jaswant Singh Khalra

On the 20th anniversary of the police abduction of human rights defender Jaswant Singh Khalra, Ensaaf released A Light of Justice: Commemorating Jaswant Singh Khalra. This 30-minute film contains interviews with Khalra’s family, as well as archival footage of Khalra when he was investigating secret cremations and disappearances in Punjab.

Twenty years after Khalra’s martyrdom, the architects of the widespread and systematic human rights abuses in Punjab remain free. The Indian government is no closer to bringing Gill and the other perpetrators to justice for organizing Khalra’s – and thousands of other innocent Sikhs’ – death.

Please watch and share this film via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The Last Killing

Satwant Singh Manak joined the Punjab Police to provide his family with a stable income. But in the late 1980s and early 1990s, in response to an insurgency, Indian security forces committed systematic and widespread torture, disappearances, and unlawful killings in Punjab. Manak silently witnessed the torture and executions of 15 unarmed individuals at the hands of his fellow police officers. The killing of Kulwant Singh, a teenager who had passed 10th grade, deeply affected Manak. No longer able to suppress his conscience and the horror of what he witnessed, he resigned from his job and filed a case against his fellow police officers. That case covers ten of the victims.