COURTESY HT DEC 23
Punjab ex-DGP Saini charged with murder
Sumedh Singh Saini
Hillary Victor
hillary.victor@hindustantimes.com
Mohali : The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday filed a charge sheet against former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini in a Mohali court for murder and kidnapping in a case concerning the 1991 disappearance of Balwant Singh Multani, who was a CITCO employee and son of a former IAS officer.
Multani was allegedly picked up by two police officials in 1991 after a terrorist attack on Saini, in which four policemen deputed in his security were killed. The police later claimed that Multani had escaped from its custody in Qadian, Gurdaspur. The SIT constituted to probe the allegations against Saini added Section 302 on August 21 this year after which the court issued his arrest warrants but Saini had procured anticipatory bail before the addition of the murder charge in the FIR. The state challenged the bail, but Supreme Court gave Saini relief from arrest.
The SIT has filed the 500-page charge sheet only against Saini, and other accused will be charged later. The court has summoned Saini for appearance on January 22, 2021.
Saini has been charged with Sections 302 (murder), 201 (disappearance of evidence), 219 (public servant corruptly or maliciously makes a report in contrary to law), 344 (wrongful confinement), 330 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort confession or to compel), 364 (Kidnapping) and 120-B (conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The charge sheet also mentions the names of the approvers-turned-witnesses against Saini. The approvers namely Kuldeep Singh and Jagir Singh, both former Chandigarh Police personnel, alleged physical torture of Multani at Saini’s behest and in his presence. The SIT also mentions names of two independent approvers against Saini for being witness to custodial torture of Multani as they were also in police custody.
Two Punjab Police former inspectors, Anokh Singh and Jagir Singh, are also co-accused in another FIR registered at Mataur police station against Saini. Anokh Singh and Jagir Singh are out on bail in this case.