Amritsar/Mehta, Punjab (July 29, 2013): As per media reports the Sant Samaj, an ally of the ruling Badal Dal, expressed anguish at the silence of Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on the issue of fake encounters despite some serving and former Punjab cops coming on record saying they witnessed or participated in such killings, and demanded an inquiry.

The Sant Samaj has reportedly said that they would meet the chief minister of Punjab and the Prime Minister of India to demand a thorough probe.

According to Times of India (TOI): Sant Samaj president and Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh described the silence of the Punjab chief minister as “disturbing”. “Not only the courts and the PM were silent on the issue, even the CM of Punjab’s Panthic government was mum as thousands of Sikh youths were eliminated in fake encounters. We shall meet PM Manmohan Singh and CM Badal to demand that all the cases of fake encounters be investigated. As the matter is well within the jurisdiction of the Punjab CM, he should order a time-bound inquiry by a judge or a high-level investigation monitored by a superior court,” Baba Harnam Singh and other leaders of Sant Samaj reportedly said.

According to TOI: “[f]ormer Akal Takht jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode and other Sant Samaj leaders also made the joint demand to the CM. They pointed out that human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who had exposed around 2,000 cases of fake encounters and disappearances, was eliminated by police officials”.