47 Policemen Sentenced to Life in Jail for Killing Sikh Men

47 Policemen Sentenced to Life in Jail for Killing Sikh Men

47 Policemen Sentenced to Life in Jail for Killing Sikh Men
By Central Bureau of Investigation – http://cbi.nic.in/coffeetable/index.pdf, Public Domain, Link
India Policemen sentenced for the 1991 ‘Fake Encounter’ Killing 11 Sikh Pilgrims

In Lucknow, India, a specially convened Central Bureau for Investigation (CBI) court sentenced 47 current and retired policemen to life in prison for the 1991 killings of 11 Sikh men in the Pilibhit district, reports The Indian Express.

47 Policemen Sentenced to Life in Jail for Killing Sikh Men[/tweetthis]

The court found the policemen guilty of a “fake encounter,” a tactic used by local law officers in which they claim individuals are terrorists or in some way criminal and armed at the time. They execute the suspects immediately.

The incident occurred in July of 1991 as a luxury tour bus filled with Sikh pilgrim families returned from a visit to holy sites around and just outside Uttar Pradesh. The officers stopped the bus, separated the men from the women and children, detaining 11 of the men.

The 11 men were divided into three groups after additional police officers arrived. Then they took the groups to three different areas in the jungle and executed them.

Fake Encounters have become commonplace in India due to the perceived ineffectiveness and slow pace of the judicial system. Instead of risking the loss of witnesses before trial, police officers take the law into their own hands.

It is believed that these 11 men were targeted because they were considered terrorists as there had been a series of attacks by Sikh groups struggling to gain a separate homeland. The policemen thought they would receive recognition and awards for carrying out the executions.

The CBI court actually charged 57 policemen in the incident, but ten have died in the 25 years that have passed. At this time, 13 of the charged are still holding various positions in the police department.

The families of the deceased traveled to Lucknow from Gurdaspur for the trial. They were not pleased with the ruling, stating that the guilty officers should be given the death penalty.

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