Justice was finally done two years after a Punjab police officer was done to death for saving the honour of his daughter.
A former Akali leader, Ranjit Singh Rana was awarded “life imprisonment till death” by the Additional District Sessions Court of Amritsar on Friday for murdering Punjab Police’s assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Ravinder Pal Singh in 2012.
Along with him, his four accomplices — Dharamjit Singh Dharma, Gurbir Singh Bira, Vikram Ohri and Sandeep Rampal — were also awarded the same punishment.
Pronouncing judgment, Additional District Session Court of Harpreet Kaur Randhawa ordered rigorous sentence of life imprisonment till death to all the five accused and also imposed fine Rs70,000 to Rana and Rs60,000 to the rest of the four accused.
Expressing, dissatisfaction over the court verdict, deceased ASI’s daughter Robanjit Kaur said that she would move to the Punjab and Haryana High Court with the demand of death sentence to all the accused as her father was “mercilessly killed in full public view in the broad daylight”. I am the eye witness of the crime,” she said.
“I myself was present on the spot when the accused killed my father and I have deposed before the court. What else remains to be seen! The accused deserve death sentence for what they have done to my father,” she said while talking to the media outside the court.
Rana was appointed district general secretary of the SAD district unit for his ‘services to the party’ by district SAD chief Upkar Singh.
Rana reportedly had “suspicious” past as he had been involved in a number of brawls in Amritsar. After the incident, Rana was expelled from the party.
Going into background of the matter, Rana, with the help of his accomplices, had assaulted ASI Ravinder Pal Singh in full public view who had come to the rescue of his daughter, Robinjit, who was being stalked and harassed by one.
ASI, who was in uniform, reached the scene and a heated argument took place. In the course of altercation, Rana allegedly pulled out his revolver and opened fire, injuring Ravinderpal and his daughter.
The accused then escaped in their jeep, and returned minutes later with another weapon and shot ASI Ravinderpal Singh in the chest in busy marketplace at Chhehrata.
Although the ASI was taken to a local hospital, he was declared dead. The firing took place just metres from Chheharta police station, but the police took half an hour to arrive at the scene.
Rana was arrested immediately after the incident. Besides, the state Director General of Police Sumdeh Singh Saini had dismissed Chhehrta station house officer (SHO) Ashwani Kumar from service who did not entertain the ASI’s daughter’s complaint.
During detention in jail, on December 19, 2012, two live cartridges of 12 bore gun were recovered from Rana in the Central Jail Amritsar.
On January 2014, Rana attempted to escape from the Central jail of Amritsar but his jail break attempt was foiled by the Jail Authorities and fresh case was registered against him.
However, Robanjit Kaur was appointed as Naib Tehsildar by Punjab Government.