27 convicted Uttar Pradesh policemen go missing

PILIBHIT: In a shocking development, 27 of the 47 policemen held guilty by a CBI court in Lucknow on Friday of killing 11 Sikh pilgrims at three different spots in Pilibhit district in a fake encounter on July 12, 1991, have gone missing. The cops were not produced before the court at the time of pronouncement of the interim order.

Sources said many of these cops have disappeared after taking long leaves. Others who had retired from service during the 25-year-long trial have gone underground.

As the court had issued non-bailable warrants against these 27 cops, it will be obligatory for the police officials to produce them before the court on April 4 when it will announce the quantum of punishment.

Sources said top police officials in the district are working hard to locate the absentee cops. Sources said local police officers had located six of the missing cops, included inspector Harpal Singh, who was posted as the station officer of Neuria police station in Pilibhit under whose jurisdiction the fake encounter had occurred. He is currently posted in the crime branch of Bareilly police.

On July 12, 1991 a group of Sikh pilgrims was returning by bus after visiting Nanakmatha, Patna Sahib, Huzur Sahib and other holy places. The police intercepted the bus near a bridge at Kachhalaghat in Pilibhit at around 11 am. Eleven Sikhs were forced to step down from the bus. Later, they were killed allegedly in an encounter. It was said that they were terrorists and had fired on cops. Illegal recovery of arms was also shown from the deceased.

Later, after investigation, the CBI found that the Sikhs were innocent and were killed in a fake encounter in which station officers, sub-inspector and constables of different police stations were involved.