Former Punjab Police Deputy Superintendent of Police Jaspal Singh, a life convict in the 1995 abduction and murder of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who was released on interim bail in 2023, could not be located at the village address listed in his jail records, officials confirmed on Friday.
Police verification finds convict missing
Assistant Sub-Inspector Jaswinder Singh of the Sadar police station stated that the Nabha jail authorities had sent an official communication requesting verification of whether Jaspal Singh was residing at Manjhi village in Hoshiarpur district, as per his jail records. When police visited the village, the sarpanch and local residents informed them that Jaspal Singh was not living there.
Station House Officer Baljinder Singh Malhi confirmed that Jaspal Singh was released from Nabha jail on interim bail on May 27, 2023, under a court order. The verification established that he was not residing at the address documented in the jail files.
Renewed attention after film 'Satluj' controversy
The verification was prompted by renewed public interest in the Khalra case following the release and subsequent removal of the film 'Satluj' from the streaming platform ZEE5. The film, starring Diljit Dosanjh as Khalra, was originally titled 'Punjab '95' and was released on ZEE5 on July 3 before being taken down two days later. Directed by Honey Trehan, the film depicts Khalra's investigation into the alleged illegal cremation of thousands of bodies claimed as 'unidentified' by police during the militancy period in Punjab.
Background of the Khalra case
Jaswant Singh Khalra was abducted from outside his home in Amritsar in September 1995. He was later found to have been murdered, although his body was never recovered. In November 2005, a CBI court sentenced former DSP Jaspal Singh and Assistant Sub-Inspector Amarjit Singh to life imprisonment, while four other police personnel received seven-year jail terms. In 2007, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Amarjit Singh but enhanced the sentences of the four other convicts to life imprisonment, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011.
Political controversy over premature release
Amid the ongoing row, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has rejected opposition allegations that the Punjab Government moved a proposal for Jaspal Singh's premature release. The political controversy erupted after senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that the AAP government sought remission of Jaspal Singh's sentence, facilitated his release, and failed to trace him after he was granted interim bail.
Punjab AAP media in-charge Baltej Pannu clarified that any application for premature release in a CBI case is decided by the Ministry of Home Affairs, not the Punjab Government. Pannu explained that Jaspal Singh's remission application was filed before the Home Ministry in 2017, which was rejected in 2018, after which the Governor also rejected the plea. Another recommendation was forwarded to the ministry in 2019, while similar applications of the other surviving co-convicts were rejected in 2023. The matter was again referred to the ministry in October 2023, and no proposal had since been received by the Punjab Government.
'When the Punjab Government did not receive any application from the home ministry, how can the Chief Minister sign any file or send it to the Governor?' Pannu said, denying that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had approved any such remission proposal.
