Atrocities of Indian Police on Sikhs

On Sunday February 12, 2012 Indian media reported that 35 year old ‘dreaded terrorist’ Kulwant Singh was in critical condition after having been admitted to hospital with over 50 per cent burns to his body.  Jail officials claim that Kulwant Singh attempted suicide while cooking.  According to the news stories, fellow inmates and jail officials refuse to comment any further on what happened.

Shockingly, this isn’t the first time Kulwant Singh has been admitted to hospital by the police, fighting for his life.  Those who have been following Kulwant Singh’s story know that this alleged suicide attempt is likely just another fabrication in a long list of lies that have been told by the Punjab Police to cover up ongoing illegal detentions and torture.

Background

The tragic story of how Kulwant Singh has suffered repeated and severe abuses of his human rights at the hands of the Punjab Police isn’t widely known.

On July 29, 2010 the Punjab Police announced the arrest of five ‘terrorists’.  Amongst the five arrested were Pal Singh, a French citizen and Kulwant Singh who was Pal Singh’s driver and domestic help.  According the Punjab Police’s official story, Kulwant Singh and Gurmukh Singh were arrested from the Amritsar bypass and after interrogation they revealed the names of Pal Singh and others.  Pal Singh was allegedly picked up from the Jalandhar bus stand on July 27th.

The only problem with the official story was that a Facebook page titled “Free Pal Singh” had been created on July 26 telling of how Pal Singh had been picked up on July 22nd and items such as his car, laptop and other belongings had also been seized.  Pal Singh’s daughter had also sent emails to the French Embassy on July 23rd and 24th reporting his abduction.  The Police story was clearly a fabrication.

Kulwant Singh’s Torture

News about this case next emerged on August 6, 2010 in a small story in the Times of India (TOI).  TOI reported that Kulwant Singh had been admitted to hospital, close to death, with kidney failure.  Doctors observed that he had been subjected to electrical shocks on his ears and genitals and had also been beaten in his abdomen with batons.  Pal Singh and the others who were arrested also report being tortured in custody.

Kulwant Singh survived.  He slowly recovered from his torture injuries and was returned to jail.  A case was registered against the officer responsible for his torture and that case was now moving forward.

Inconsistencies in the Punjab Police’s story about Kulwant Singh’s arrest in addition to his well documented injuries from torture are an embarrassment to the Punjab Police.  If Kulwant Singh’s case were to proceed it would expose the human rights abuses taking place in Punjab.

The reasons behind the arrest of Pal Singh, Kulwant Singh and others can only be speculated upon.  Pal Singh has suggested that he was targeted because of his opposition to the Badal government in Punjab and his efforts to bring change in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee which manages Sikh Gurdwaras.  Regardless, whatever evidence the Punjab Police has against these accused must be brought before a court of law in a timely manner and India, which prides itself as the world’s largest democracy, must ensure its security forces respect the rule of law and basic human rights norms.

Suicide Attempt or Attempted Murder?

We have learned that when Kulwant Singh was alone in his cell and asleep, an already burning flame accelerant was thrown on him and he was scorched from the knees upward.

The story of Kulwant Singh’s alleged suicide attempt while cooking is factually impossible as there is no cooking area within Kulwant Singh’s cell.

Furthermore, after recovering from his previous injuries and with his torture case now proceeding, there would be no reason for Kulwant Singh to attempt suicide at this time, and that too in such a painful manner.  It appears this was an attempt to forever silence Kulwant Singh and make his story of illegal detention and torture go away.

This isn’t the first time the Punjab Police has tried to eliminate individuals who may expose the stories of torture.  In January 2011, Shaminder Singh Shera was beaten to death after he threatened to expose the story of his illegal detention and torture at the hands of the Punjab Police.  In March, Sohan Singh was reported to have committed suicide in his cell by hanging, when his family repeatedly stated that he had been badly tortured and could barely stand.

What Can You Do?

Let those in power know that Kulwant Singh matters and his abuse won’t be ignored.  Shaminder Singh Shera, Sohan Singh and countless others have died because it is felt the public will not react to their murders.  It is felt that the lives of these individuals don't matter. That needs to change.

You can contact the head of Amritsar Jail, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh and the Superintendent of Amritsar Jail, Roop Kumar and let them know that you are concerned about the treatment Kulwant Singh and his fellow accused have received and that their human rights must be respected.  The contact information for these individuals is below:

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, IPS

DIG (Prisons), Central Jail, Amritsar

Phone & Fax: +91-183-2591110

Cell: +91-9814085205

E-mail: kunwarv@yahoo.com,  sudharghar@gmail.com

Roop Kumar, Superintendent Jail, Amritsar

Phone: +91-183-2591973

Cell: +91-9876005959

E-mail: roop_18181@yahoo.co.in

Army in a mess: Promotions for sale, rape charges against Officers

A high profile brigadier, recently posted as the Deputy Director General, Discipline and Vigilance (DDG, DV) at the Army Headquarters, has come under scanner for the alleged abuse of power and demanding money from subordinate officers and contractors in a cash scandal.

Brigadier Laiphrakpam Ibotombi Singh of 13th Battalion Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI), who was till March 2012 commanding the Watershed Brigade in Sikkim, has been accused of compelling officers under his command to “loan him money for urgent family requirement” and then not returning it.

The general officer commanding (GOC) of the Striking Lion Division conducted a discreet inquiry before the official court of inquiry (CoI) was ordered on June 15, army sources told Headlines Today on Tuesday.

“A rather grim picture emerges from the pattern of complaints. There are serious allegations that need to be probed. The discreet inquiry findings will be a part of the material for the court of inquiry to proceed,” a senior officer in the Eastern Command told Headlines Today.

The timing of the “loan” allegedly coincided with the time of writing of annual confidential reports (ACRs) of the subordinate officers has brought the brigadier under suspicion. Both the Eastern Command and Army Headquarters refused to share details of the discreet inquiry.

Only officers with unimpeachable integrity and spoken reputation are posted to the DV directorate, which is responsible for keeping a hawk eye on army’s internal health and integrity.

“Brig L.I. Singh was handpicked by the former chief of army staff General V.K. Singh in April this year and brought to the DV directorate. He was probing the botched-up Jorhat intelligence operation. Now he himself is under the scanner for alleged extortion,” an officer said.

As a DDG in the DV directorate, Brig Singh had asked the Eastern Command and the Dimapur based 3 Corps to explain inaction of officers in taking disciplinary action against those involved in the botched Jorhat intelligence operation where a team of 3 Corps Intelligence and Surveillance Unit was found to have broken into the house of an MES contractor and stolen a pistol, mobile phone and cash.

“He himself is now being summoned for a court of inquiry to explain complaints filed by serving officers directly under his command of illegally demanding money. This is a conduct unbecoming of an officer,” sources said.

An army spokesperson confirmed that an investigation had indeed been ordered.

“A court of inquiry has been ordered to probe the allegations. As soon as the inquiry is completed we shall reveal the facts,” the spokesperson said.

Army sources said borrowing and lending money is strictly prohibited in the army according to defence services regulation. In the past, a two-star general was court martialled and punished for a similar offence.

“Brig Singh is an alumnus of Sainik School, Imphal, Manipur. He is a bright and hard working officer. He excelled in Staff College and Higher Command Course. He commanded his battalion in Drass and was awarded a Yudh Sewa Medal for exemplary leadership after Operation Parakram. He had a bright future and these complaints need to be probed speedily and in a transparent manner,” a senior JAKLI officer told Headlines Today.

Brig Singh has proceeded on leave and the inquiry would begin as soon as he rejoins.

Lady officer alleges rape by Lt Col

An Army officer has been arrested on charges of raping a woman officer after duping her with a fake marriage.

The Uttarakhand police nabbed Lt. Colonel Dilip Singh Shekhawat from his home town Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, where he had gone on a two-month leave, and brought the accused to Dehradun on Monday. The woman officer also claimed that the officer was already married and had not revealed his marital status to her.

According to the police, a woman officer, who is also serving as Lt Colonel in the Medical Corps, lodged a complaint with the Dehradun police in April 2012, charging Lt Colonel Shekhawat of frequently raping her and cheating her by conducting a bogus marriage in a temple.

Dehradun police’s circle officer, city, Navneet Bhuller said, “We had gone to Jhunjhunu with a non-bailable warrant against Lt Colonel Shekhawat. We have sent the accused to jail. The investigation team is conducting the inquiry.”

The lady officer is presently serving at the Military Hospital in Dehradun, while Shekhwat is posted at NCC Uttarkashi.

According to reports, Lt Colonel Shekhawat had met the lady officer last year in Dehradun when he was in the city for the Republic Day camp of the NCC.

The victim has claimed that the Army officer married her at a temple in the hills last year. Few months after the marriage, the officer publicly denied having any legal relationship with the lady officer, which forced her to lodge a police complaint.

Corporate Corruption by C Level in India reveals its Dark Underbelly in Reebok Adidas Scandal

Corruption in India has been exposed in many forms of late and we have documented this in GWI. Politicians, Bureaucrats, Army Generals and Business Owners have been found to be guilty in numerous cases of corruption and pelf . Politicians and Businessmen have been jailed but they have managed to get out on bail using their millionaire lawyers to fake illness and other shenanigans. Some politicians are now involved in both professions with some rumored to be billionaires owning companies through surreptitious means and parking their money in Swiss banks. Business Groups in India see their shares rising and going down depending on which political party wins proving the nexus between politicians and businessmen. There has been no reforms to separate these two and now powerful politico-business dynasties have started ruling large parts of India.

Continuous scams and scandals have started derailing the story. Massive project delays,real estate shenanigans have resulted in a perceptible slowing of Indian growth.Infrastructure companies have started slowing down with some of the darlings even bleeding red ink from the growing problems. Combine this with inflation,inequity and rising interest rates has led to a sharp correction in the Indian stock market. With the Telecom Scam still afresh amongst the masses, there has been a major reputation tarnishing of India’s image not only amongst its own citizens but also internationally. While these cases have not led to a stoppage of Foreign investment into India, a major corruption case involving 2 top executives of Reebok & Adidas has the potential to massively damage India’s investment scenario. These executives are alleged to have siphoned off millions of dollars from their parent company taking advantage of their positions.

Note what has always been known but never exposed in the mainstream media is that C Level executives in India of MNC arms have been involved in underhand deals . It is widely known that top executives regularly take bribes in procurement contracts . Setting up of factories, offices allows the executives to collude with suppliers in cheating their companies with millions of dollars. However even in cases where wrongdoing is found, no legal action is taken as the company does not want to sully its own reputation. In the Reebok case, the executives are let to get away. Fortunately in this case the media has managed to unravel some of the dirty linen allowing criminal proceedings to start against the guilty parties. India is already suffering due to the 2G scandal in which big telecom companies of friendly countries are taking billion dollar hits. With a trust deficit between parent company headquarters and Indian headquarters, the investment into India could come down drastically. The private sector which has been the major engine of growth and innovation is also getting caught in the corruption tangle.

Protests against Corruption in India

NEW DELHI, June 3: Two Indian anti-corruption campaigners drew thousands of cheering supporters to a protest on Sunday to press the government to act against corruption and bring back hundreds of billions of dollars stashed overseas.

Yoga celebrity Baba Ramdev, swaddled in his trademark saffron robes, said he and social activist Anna Hazare would hold more protests through August “to bring back black money stashed abroad.”

The subjects of corruption and so-called black money have riled a public that is reeling from rapid inflation, slowing growth and widespread malnutrition affecting hundreds of millions of citizens.

The protests, along with a string of high-profile scandals, have deeply embarrassed the government and sullied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s squeaky-clean image as an honest technocrat responsible for sparking India’s growth by liberalising the economy in the 1990s.