Rights activists should be unbiased

Rana asserted that under no circumstances should a lawyer indulge in criminal activities to save his client. Without naming any lawyer, he said, “There are instances when defence counsel of the terrorists were also involved in subversive activities.”

While accusing such lawyers of running an industry under the garb of human rights movement, he said,“What surprises me most is that none of the human rights body has ever opposed the action of militants. It seems that the massacre of innocent civilians by terrorists is not a case of human rights abuse for them.”

Asked if he justified the high-handedness of the police, Rana said,“during days of militancy it was a war-like situation in Punjab that demanded extraordinary measures to contain terrorism. Even the Army’s work has been lauded in spite of excesses, whereas the Punjab Police officers have been ridiculed in the cases which earlier fetched them presidential medals.”

“There are cases where the police and the Army had jointly eliminated some terrorists, but why is that only the Punjab Police officials were subjected to court inquiries,” he asked.

Singh, however, demanded that all officers who had surpassed their limits to get out-of-turn promotions be tried.“No concessions should be granted to greedy police officers,” he added.

To a question as to why he was defending policemen whose name figured in the case of disappearance of his colleague, Kulwant Singh Saini, from the district court a few years ago, Singh said, “the Kulwant Singh case is pending before the court. I would not like to comment on it,” and added, “more than Kulwant, we are deeply worried about his missing wife and child.”

While contesting the charge of police excesses under the Congress government, Rana said, “most of the complaints pertaining to police atrocities were filed in various courts during the Congress rule. But police high-handedness continues unabated even under the present SAD-BJP regime. People should forgive the Congress.”

He demanded that a judicial commission be set up to look into the perpetrators of the decade-long violence in Punjab.

Charging the Akalis with dragging their feet over the proposed commission, Singh said “they fear getting exposed as they are the perpetrators of violence in the state. The government can at least think of bringing in a legislation to forgive the policemen on the lines of Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Africa,” he said.