A CBI court has sentenced retired Punjab Police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Kashmir Singh to five years imprisonment in a 1991 case involving the kidnapping, illegal confinement, and disappearance of Baljit Singh from Malluwal Santa village in Tarn Taran district. The sentence was pronounced on Friday, July 4, 2026, nearly 35 years after the incident.
Background of the Case
On August 7, 1991, at around 10 am, Baljit Singh, then 30, was picked up from the Jhabal bus stand in Tarn Taran by the then Station House Officer (SHO) Suba Singh and other police personnel. He was taken to the Jhabal police station, where he was allegedly kept in illegal custody until August 16. During his detention, family members and others regularly met him at the police station and provided him with food and clothing. However, after August 16, his whereabouts became unknown, and he has not been traced since.
Previous Convictions
In 2023, the same court had sentenced former Inspector Suba Singh (then 81), former Constable Ravel Singh, and former Head Constable Dalbir Singh to five years rigorous imprisonment after convicting them under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 365 (kidnapping), 344 (wrongful confinement for ten or more days), and 330 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort confession) of the Indian Penal Code.
Kashmir Singh's Role and Arrest
Kashmir Singh, who was serving as a head constable at Jhabal police station at the time of the incident, was not initially chargesheeted by the CBI. However, the trial court summoned him as an additional accused on an application filed by the complainant, Balbir Kaur, the wife of the missing man. After appearing before the court, Kashmir Singh absconded and was declared a proclaimed offender in 2012. He was arrested recently and had been released on bail. Following the pronouncement of the sentence on Friday, he was taken into custody.
Complainant's Long Struggle
Balbir Kaur, who pursued the case for decades, died in 2022 while awaiting justice. Her relentless efforts led to the summoning of Kashmir Singh as an additional accused. Meanwhile, Suba Singh, who was also an accused in seven other cases involving alleged kidnapping and disappearance of victims, was murdered inside Patiala Central Jail on September 10, 2025.
Court Proceedings
The CBI court, after hearing the arguments, sentenced Kashmir Singh to five years imprisonment. The case highlights the prolonged legal battle for justice in a matter that remained unresolved for over three decades. The sentence brings some closure to the family of Baljit Singh, though the whereabouts of the missing man remain unknown.
