19-yr-old’s ‘encounter’ death snowballs into Punjab row

THE death of 19-year-old Ranjit Singh in an alleged encounter by the Punjab Police in connection with the killings of two police personnel in Gurdaspur has snowballed into a major controversy, with the chorus for an independent inquiry growing louder.

- HARPREET BAJWA @Chandigarh

Gurdaspur Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has written a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding an inquiry by the NIA or CBI as the family has refused to accept Ranjit’s body seeking action against police. Human rights and religious organisations have also demanded a probe.

In his letter, Randhawa said, “A 19-year old youth was killed in an ‘encounter’. His mother has asserted that he had been picked up from their home. Immediate transfer of probe to a central agency, such as the NIA or CBI, is needed, so that truth is pursued in a manner that restores public confidence.”