Badal, Bibi Kaur gets HC notice over daughter’s death

The PIL, which was filed yesterday, had sought the court’s direction to the Punjab police for registering a case under Section 302 of the IPC, describing it as one of “double murder of Harpreet Kaur and child of Harpreet Kaur and Kamaljit Singh and for destruction of evidence by burning her dead body and destroying the body of the newborn child”.

Meanwhile, the `husband’ of Harpreet, Kamaljit Singh, today moved the High Court against the state government, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and four others for seeking an “investigation into the suspicious and mysterious death of Harpreet Kaur alias Rosey and registering of a case against all those responsible for her death.”

The petition also sought a direction for a probe into the death of the child reportedly born to Harpreet by an independent agency like the CBI and orders for punishing those responsible for causing the “disappearance of the evidence of the offence”.

Meanwhile, it was announced that Punjab Inspector General of Police (Crime) K K Attri will head the special team constituted today to conduct an inquiry into the case. The Chief Minister had directed Director General of Police Sarabjit Singh late last night to depute a senior police officer to inquire into the matter.

Attri has been granted full discretion to associate any officer with his team for a “free and fair inquiry”, an official release said. The team has been directed to submit its report at its earliest.

Taking suo motu cognisance of reports of Harpreet’s death along with the complaint filed by Ranjan Lakhanpal on behalf of the World Human Rights Protection Council, the Punjab State Human Rights Commission today directed the DGP, Punjab, to immediately look into the matter and ensure the safety of Kamaljit Singh and his parents.

A division bench, comprising Justice V K Khanna (Chairperson of the Commission) and Justice J S Sekhon, said: “After perusal of the news items, the bench is of the opinion that it is a fit case for taking suo motu cognisance under the provisions of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.”

“The Commission, after carefully considering the arguments raised by Ranjan Lakhanpal and the entire facts and circumstances figuring in the complaint and news items, is of the opinion that photostat copies of the news items and complaint along with the order be sent to the DGP, Punjab, and I G Litigation through a special messenger within 24 hours and to SSP, Kapurthala, under registered AD within 24 hours. It will be the duty of the official receiving the communication from the Commission to place it personally before the said authority so that they may send the report on or before May 12,” the bench directed.

In the petition filed by him before the HC, Harpreet’s `husband’, Kamaljit Singh, has claimed: “I belong to a poor family and had secretly married Harpreet Kaur, and the wedlock was the result of a prolonged love affair which was in the knowledge of Bibi Jagir Kaur but she never approved it.”

“The main cause of which,” the petition adds, “was poverty and the humble status of the petitioner that has resulted in taking away lives of two human beings — one budding young girl and another who had just been born and was done away with on account of the might of the state wielded by Bibi Jagir Kaur.”