Former MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha has been named an accused in a case registered against him 36 years ago for murdering Dr Sudarshan Kumar Trehan, a doctor based in Patti town of Tarn Taran. A supplementary challan was produced in Patti court on Friday after a fresh police probe was ordered on the complaint by retired justice Ajit Singh Bains, chairman, Punjab Human Rights Organisation, into FIR number 346 registered on September 30, 1983. Former militant, Valtoha, who was arrested from the Golden Temple premises after Operation Blue Star, also appeared before SP(D) Tilak Raj as part of fresh inquiry and he produced documents suggesting that he was granted bail for a sum of Rs 10,000 in the same case on February 2, 1991. After conducting an inquiry, Tarn Taran police produced challan under Section 302, 307, 452, 34 of the IPC. The court has fixed the next hearing on March 13. Two-time MLA Valtoha, however, never divulged to the Election Commission that a murder case was pending against him. Two more persons, Hardev Singh and Baldev Singh, were also named along with Valtoha for the murder of Dr Trehan at his clinic while he was attending patients. However, Hardev Singh and Baldev Singh were acquited of the charges on November 11, 1990. Justice Ajit Singh Bains, in his complaint, alleged that files of the case related to Valtoha went missing from police station as he was “used by the government”. According to the challan produced by the police, initially no one was booked for murder in 1983. Operation Blue Star happened in 1984 when Valtoha was arrested from the Golden Temple premises and sent to Jodhpur jail. On October 21 1984, when Valtoha was in Tihar jail Delhi, Patti police named him and two others on the basis of an extra-judicial confession statement of witness Ajit Singh. While being in jail, Valtoha was declared a proclaimed offender by the court in 1985. Valtoha claims that he was victim of police and the Congress government back in 1984 and even now. Talking to The Indian Express, Valtoha said, “Police took extra-judicial confession statement from witness Pritam Singh that we went to him after murder and told him that we murdered Dr Trehan. Isn’t his statement a joke in itself ?.” Complaint by Justice Ajit Singh Bains said an investigation was needed into how Valtoha’s files went missing from police station and how he got police clearance for passport in 2009 when he had no document to suggest that he was acquitted in the case. It asked why a case shouldn’t be registered against him for allegedly providing wrong information to the Election Commission. “I faced National Security Act (NSA) while in Jodhpur jail and came out clean. It was Congress government then and Congress government now. How can I be responsible if case files went missing from police station,” said Valtoha. Police, however, haven’t taken any action into other allegations and only produces challan in pending case.
