8230;sons will never return

For years, their families had given them up as missing and didn8217;t have proof to validate that their sons were dead. All because the Pun...

For years, their families had given them up as missing and didn8217;t have proof to validate that their sons were dead.

All because the Punjab Police had cremated as unidentified the bodies of 2,097 men during the height of militancy. Today, many families were able to come to terms with the past when the National Human Rights Commission NHRC issued an advertisement listing the names of 693 youths cremated by police, and asked them to submit claims for compensation if any on account of rights violations.

Roor Singh wept as he clutched the newspaper with the name of his son Tejinder Singh neatly underlined. 8216;8216;It was in a midnight swoop on our house at Throo village that the Bhikiwind police picked up my younger son Tejinder, who was only 23. We asked them to tell us why but that only prompted them to give us all a hiding,8217;8217; he says. About 10 days later, they read in a language daily that Tejinder, a 8216;militant8217;, had been killed in an encounter. 8216;8216;But we never received his body, so how could we believe the report,8217;8217; says Roor Singh.

After today8217;s ad, he believes it. But more important to him is the prospect of justice, the line that reads: 8216;8216;If, as a result of enquiry, it is found that these8230; bodies were cremated without following the lawful procedure or that there has been any other violation of human rights in relation to such deceased person, the Commission may8230; consider grant of compensation.8217;8217; For Roor, more than compensation, it8217;s a chance to prove his son8217;s innocence.

This is the story of most of the people queuing up at the camp office of Amrik Singh, coordinator of Association of Families of Disappeared People in Punjab AFDPP. Singh has been examining their credentials as per NHRC directions.

Teja Singh, who fled his native village of Saido fearing police, tells how his son Gurnam Singh, who was in his early 20s, was picked up from their rented house in Harayana, and killed in a fake encounter by the Kairon police. 8216;8216;But we never got to see his body. Now it seems justice will finally be done,8217;8217; he sighs.

The 80-plus Dalip Kaur of Bhindia village near Lopoke, who lost her eyesight waiting for her son Karamjit Singh, sobs quietly when you broach the topic. 8216;8216;I can never forget the night of January 16, 1993, when the police barged into our house, woke up my sleeping son, and gave him a brutal thrashing in front of my eyes before taking him away. I tried so hard to stop them but failed.8217;8217; Before leaving, the policemen said they were from Rajpura. Later, a neighbour told her about a newspaper report claiming that her son was a militant and had been killed in an encounter. Today her only aim in life is to see justice being done to his memory. 8216;8216;He was innocent, write that down,8217;8217; her voice trembles.

Story continues below this ad

For Nishan Singh, whose brother Kulwant Singh 28 was also killed in an alleged encounter, the news means an end to a futile search. 8216;8216;But I am still apprehensive about the police, the NHRC must ensure our safety if it wants us to come forth and speak out the truth,8217;8217; he says.

This is the demand of most people at the camp office registering affected families and helping them file affidavits. 8216;8216;Of the over 2,000 families, we have counselled more than 800 and the process is on,8217;8217; said Amrik Singh, adding that most families are hoping for some compensation.

Many hope for justice, Khalra8217;s wife one of them

Paramjit Kaur, wife of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, said the NHRC order was a ray of hope for everyone like her. Khalra, who had collected data regarding the disappeared persons, was allegedly kidnapped by Punjab Police on September 6, 1993. 8216;8216;It8217;s been a long legal haul, and I can finally see some reason for hope.8217;8217;

Story continues below this ad

Punjab Human Rights Organisation deputy chairman Kirpal Singh Randhawa called for compensation of at least Rs 10 lakh besides rehabilitation of the affected families. He also sought punishment for police officers involved. 8216;8216;The properties of police officers, who made riches and were promoted for committing these crimes, must be confiscated and criminal cases should be slapped on them.8217;8217;