CHANDIGARH: Punjab Director General of Police N.P.S.Aulakh Thursday ordered a high level probe into the fake killings of at least three terrorists who have returned home from their hideouts in other states and also revealed the names of innocent persons killed for them in fake encounters by Punjab police during days of militancy.

The media reports about “killed” terrorists” found alive has created a flutter in the Punjab police circles since at least one IPS officer H.S.Chahal whose name has figured in two fake killings may face the law. The Punjab police officials have also claimed reward money up to Rs.25 in lakhs for each terrorist shown dead.

The Punjab government’s decision to probe the fake encounters has come at a time when nation is already plunged in shock over killings of a criminal Sohrabuddin his wife and an eyewitness in fake encounters in Gujarat by three IPS officers including DIG border range DG Vanjara.

Aulakh said that he has ordered a probe following media reports about fake encounters by Punjab police officers. He said that J. P. Birdi, Additional Director General of Police, GRP would head the fact-finding team for conducting a thorough enquiry into the alleged allegations.
  
An official spokesman said that State Government had viewed the news reports with concern and considering the gravity of the issues involved,   the inquiry has been initiated. The Central Bureau of Investigation is already investigating into hundreds of other cases of fake encounters in Punjab. This case is considered a living evidence to the allegations of fake encounters by Punjab police.
  
Gurnam Singh Bundala was a terror name during the peak days of militancy. The police had claimed that a man was killed in a fierce police encounter near Ropar in August 1994. He was identified as Gurnam Singh Bandala, former dreaded Khalistani terrorist and a close associate of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. The award on his head, to the tune of Rs. 25 lakhs, is `usurped' jointly by police officers and police informers (cats) who `engineered' the plot. Bandala is then considered `eliminated" in the police files, forever.
               
The man shown to be killed is alive and living in village Man Khera in Gurdaspur district and is on the rolls of one faction of Sikh seminary; Damdammi Taksal, Chowk Mehta, which was once headed by Bhindranwale himself.

Bundala, said once he learnt that he had been killed, then  he went into hiding in Rajasthan and later changed his name to Surjit Singh to live in the village here.

Interestingly, the police got suspicious of his movements again and he was even arrested in 1998, learning that he was Bandala whom police had `eliminated' in encounter. Bandala against whom various cases of murders, attempt to murders were pending in Ferozepur and Gurdapur revenue districts, was sent to jail. But ironically the higher police authorities, knowing that they have arrested Bandala, who is considered dead in police files, they kept the issue under wraps so far.

The man who was actually killed in place of Bandala in 1994 was young Sukhpal Singh, a resident of Kala Afghana village. The police teams cooked up the story to take a big claims and the award, with the help of police informers including Avtar Singh Tari, presently lodged in jail in another case. The DSP Jaspal Singh who carried out the encounter is also in the jail in another case of fake encounter. The widow of Sukhpal and his aged father Jagir Singh, who never got the body or remains of their son have also demand probe into the whole affair.

The second terrorist “killed” by police is Gurcharan Singh alias Giani living peacefully in his native village at Chhajjalwadi on G.T.Road, about 40 kilometers from Amritsar.

He was in an encounter near Shivpuri in Madhya Pardesh in September 1993. He says his whole family was ruined after they were uprooted from Delhi following 1984 anti-Sikh riots.  He is younger brother of Surjit Singh Painta, KCF supreme who was a terror in the area in 1980s and a sufferer of anti-Sikh riots. He was killed during Operation Black Thunder in 1987 at Golden Temple complex.

“I went under ground and started driving the truck with the changed name. ``I read in newspapers in September 1993 that I have been killed in the encounter at Shivakassi in MP. I was amazed but it helped me and thereafter I kept my driving job on as police was no more after my blood'', hetold media persons in Amritsar.

The policemen who `killed' him got award of Rs. five lakhs and even decorations from President for `meritorious services'. The then  SSP Jagroan H.S.Chahal held a press conference after the encounter and announced killing of Gurcharan Singh. 

``I heard that in my place some truck driver, who is not known till now was killed. I was arrested by police in some other cases later and  have just come out of the jail after serving sentence”, he claimed.

Yet another former `terrorist' Jaspal Singh Bhatti, who was declared `killed' in police encounter in 1993, is happily living  at his native Nangli villagein Amritsaar district. . He said he was `killed' by Jagraon police on August 11, 1993 and an award of Rs. five lakhs was eaten away by police officers who got promotions also for killing him.

``To save my life I started working as truck driver in Shivakassi in Madhya Pardesh. One day I read in the newspapers that I have been killed by one then SHO D.S.Mann and the award on my head had also been paid to the police officers'' said Bhatti. His death in fake encounter was also announced by H.S.Chahal who enjoyed plum postings during former Congress government.

He said he was arrested by the Ferozepur police on December 12, 1994 and a dozen of cases of murders, attempts to murders, arms act and TADA. The CBI which was investigating the fake killings by the Punjab police during terrorism, got the clue that I have been declared killed and now again arrested as alive and started the probe. ``I do not know what happened to the inquiry'', he said.

Punjab Human Rights Organizations (PHRO) reacted sharply and stated that their plea that over 300 persons had been killed during terrorism in Punjab had been vindicated with this case coming to the forth.