Gurdaspur: The mortal remains of Ranjit Singh were consigned to flames at his native village Adhian in Gurdaspur district on Monday, 12 days after the 19-year-old was shot dead in an alleged encounter in connection with the killing of two cops at a police post near the Pakistan border in the district.Family members had refused to hold the cremation till an FIR was registered against policemen allegedly involved in the Feb 25 encounter. However, Harvinder Singh Malhi, the victim’s uncle, said on Monday that the family decided to hold the final rites due to the deteriorating condition of the body. A large number of people, including nihangs, farmers and members of social and political organisations, demanded justice for Ranjit Singh’s family during the cremation, which Ranjit Singh’s father could not attend. He is currently abroad. Bhajanpreet Singh, the counsel for Ranjit Singh’s family, said a judicial inquiry into the alleged encounter was under way and the family sought an inspection of CCTV footage from Feb 24 to March 4 to verify the alleged suspicious presence of ‘external’ police personnel from other districts at the hospital on the night the body was brought there. An action committee constituted to seek justice for the family suspended its call for a dharna demanding registration of an FIR against the police officials allegedly involved in the encounter. Police had arrested Ranjit Singh and his friend Dilawar Singh for the Feb 22 murders of ASI Gurnam Singh and Home Guard jawan Ashok Kumar. While Ranjit Singh died on Feb 25, another suspect, Inderjit Singh, was arrested the following day. MSID:: 129329815 413 |
