CHANDIGARH: In a sensational twist to sacrilege cases that have taken Punjab by storm , the ongoing police investigation into Dec 19 Kapurthala case — where a mob beat up an unknown man to death — has now revealed that gurdwara caretaker Amarjit Singh was a frequent visitor to Pakistan and worked as a pro-Khalistan ultra before turning into a CAT.
The term CAT is a coinage by Punjab Police that came up during the peak of terrorism in the early 90s that refers to pro-Khalistan terrorists who turned into police informers for under-cover operations.
What has baffled the Punjab Police is that Amarjit was in constant touch with a top police officer of a police commissioner-rank who has managed to remain in plum postings during SAD and Congress regimes including Mohali and Ludhiana , sources in Punjab Police have told The New Indian.
At least three contacts were established between Amarjit and “an outside zone” police officer on the day of the crime as Kapurthala belongs to Jalandhar Zone.
The Punjab Police are so far unable to ascertain the links between the mysterious calls between Amarjit and this top police officer.
They are trying to find out if these calls were during the incident, before or after, apart from the frequency.
“We have gone through his passport records. We are also checking his phone records. Probe has found that he was in touch with one of our police officers. Besides, he had gone to Pakistan. During the investigation, Amarjit also revealed that he worked as a CAT commando and was in touch with some police officers,” said a senior cop in Punjab Police.
Kapurthala Police also found the pattern in which “live video” of the brutality of the killing of the man was made to be suspicious.
The Kapurthala Police is now planning to register a murder case, three days after incident triggered national outrage.
The Police have also confiscated his mobile phone to verify his claims of sacrilege. He had narrated the incident to the police — which formed basis of the FIR under charges of 295A (defiling a place of religious worship) — claiming that the migrant labourer had attempted to disrespect the Nishan Sahib flag, a symbol at his gurdwara in Nizampur village in Sunday.
In the video that emerged, however, the man can only be seen eating rotis.
Initial investigations have revealed that
Civil hospital medical officer Dr Sandip Dhawan in Kapurthala found eight deep sharp cuts on the victim’s neck, hips and legs but there is no video that shows either an attempt by the man to challenge the mob.
“There are gaps in his (Amarjit’s) claims. The man was alive by the time we reached the spot of the crime when the mob had gheraoed him. The mob was carrying 3.5-feet-tall swords and weapons. We first tried to negotiate with them but they didn’t agree. If Amarjit or other men around him had informed the police in time, the man could have been booked and investigation into sacrilege would have taken place. But, there is no evidence to support the claim that any sacrilege took place. Sacrilege happens when desecration of a holy book takes place,” the officer shared.