Jaswant Singh Khalra Case Jaspal Singh Satluj Controversy

Nearly three decades after the abduction and murder of Punjab human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, one of the key convicts in the case, former deputy superintendent of police Jaspal Singh, has once again come under the spotlight amid the controversy surrounding the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj.

Jaspal, who is in his late 60s, was granted interim bail in May 2023. Authorities at Nabha Open Air Jail recently sought a routine verification of his present address from Hoshiarpur police, as the address available in prison records falls within the district.

The verification exercise comes days after Satluj, based on Khalra’s life and disappearance, was taken down from a OTT platform after being available for 48 hours. Jaspal’s character features prominently in the film, bringing renewed attention to one of Punjab’s most high-profile human rights cases.

“Though I am yet to go through any official email or so in this connection, yes, I got to know that some intimation has come from Nabha Open Air Jail. As the stay address has been mentioned in Hoshiarpur district, we have been asked to provide details. He was out on interim bail and such a communication seeking whereabouts details is a routine check, nothing extraordinary,” Sandeep Malik, Senior Superintendent of Police, Hoshiarpur, told The Indian Express.

Attempts to contact Nabha Open Air Jail Superintendent Chanchal Kumari for comments were unsuccessful.

Police sources said the verification should not be seen as an indication that the convict is absconding. They pointed out that a person released on bail is not necessarily required to remain at the address initially furnished and that periodic verification of residential details is a routine administrative exercise. Sources added that the Hoshiarpur police have only been asked to verify the address, while Jaspal continued to remain under the jurisdiction of Nabha prison authorities.

According to official records, Jaspal’s native place is Cheema Nagar in Jalandhar district, while a later address available with authorities is that of Majhi village in Hoshiarpur district.

Jaspal was one of the principal accused in the abduction and murder of Khalra, who disappeared from outside his residence in Amritsar on September 6, 1995, six days after the assassination of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh on August 31, 1995.

Khalra had exposed the alleged illegal cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies during Punjab’s militancy period.

Following an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Jaspal and several other Punjab Police personnel were charge-sheeted for abducting Khalra, illegally confining him, murdering him in police custody, and destroying evidence.

According to the prosecution’s case, Khalra was shot dead inside a police station. His body was allegedly transported in the trunk of a vehicle and disposed of in a canal near Harike in an attempt to destroy evidence.

In November 2005, a CBI court in Patiala convicted Jaspal of criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, murder and destruction of evidence and sentenced him to life imprisonment. His conviction was upheld by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2007 and later by the Supreme Court in 2011. Among the six policemen convicted in the case, Jaspal was the seniormost officer. The other convicts were sub-inspectors Amarjit Singh, Satnam Singh, Surinder Pal Singh and Jasbir Singh, besides head constable Prithipal Singh.

Jaspal Singh had moved an application seeking premature release in 2017, but the proposal was rejected by the Centre, sources said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when prisons were decongested following directions of a Supreme Court-mandated committee, thousands of convicts and undertrials were released on parole and interim bail in phases. Sources said Jaspal was released in November 2021 under this exercise.

Subsequently, a court order dated August 16, 2022 directed him to surrender. Later, in May 2023, the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Patiala, granted him interim bail. The release warrant directed the Nabha Open Air Jail superintendent to release him after bail bonds of Rs 1 lakh were furnished. He has remained out on bail since then.