Under Sl. No. 8/028, the list identifies the 29 February 1988 cremation of Baldev Singh, s/o Harbhajan Singh, r/o village Sekhchack carried out by ASI Aatma Singh of Verowal police station under FIR No. 49/88. The postmortem report number is mentioned as AK?11/88. The cause of death is stated to be an “encounter.”

The Committee has acquired the following information in this case through its Incident-Report Form No. CCDP/00750.

Baldev Singh, alias Billa, was 35, married to Gurmeet Kaur with three young children, and lived in village Sheikh Chakk, post office Lalpur, under Tarn Taran’s Sadar police station, in the Tarn Taran subdivision of Amritsar district. Baldev Singh’s parents Bhajan Singh and Harbans Kaur also lived in the same house. Baldev Singh worked as a mason. He was a devout Sikh and did not belong to any political party or organization.

In early 1987, the Central Reserve Police Force then stationed at Fatehabad illegally detained, interrogated and tortured Baldev Singh for two months. He was released unconditionally.

On 25 February 1988, Baldev Singh left his home to visit his in-laws in village Bhooian near Fatehabad under Khadur Sahib in Amritsar district. He wanted to invite them to his sister’s marriage. At Fatehabad, Baldev Singh took a rickshaw, along with another person, to reach Bhooian. On the way, the Central Reserve Police Force, stationed at village Khuaspur, stopped the rickshaw and took both Baldev Singh and his companion into custody. A resident of Bhooian village, well acquainted with Baldev Singh, witnessed the arrest on his way to fetch his children from a school in Fatehabad. The arrest occurred around 4 p.m.

This witness from Bhooian village immediately went to Baldev Singh’s mother-in-law, Swaran Kaur, and told her about the arrests. Swaran Kaur traveled to Sheikh Chakk to inform Baldev’s parents and her daughter the same evening.

The next morning, Baldev Singh’s father Bhajan Singh, who has since expired, along with several village elders went to the CRPF’s camp at Khuaspur and met Mr. Tiwari, the Commandant, who denied having Baldev Singh in his custody and did not even acknowledge arresting him.

On 29 February 1988, the local newspapers reported an “encounter” in which two “unidentified militants” were allegedly killed. Approached by the family members and village elders, SHO Tarlochan Singh Walia of Verowal police station admitted that Baldev Singh was one of the killed in the reported encounter. But the family was not informed about the cremation and was not able to carry out the last religious rites.

Baldev Singh’s widow, Gurmeet Kaur, and her three children now live in Bhooian village near Fatehabad and are supported by Gurmeet Kaur’s parents.

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