Families of missing Punjabis reject U’khand police probe

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In this handout photograph released by The Indian Army on June 18, 2013, Indian security personnel supervise residents and travellers as they stand on the remains of a flood damaged road alongside the River Alaknanda in Chamoli district in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand on June 18, 2013. Torrential rains and flash floods washed away homes and roads in north India, leaving at least feared 60 people dead and thousands stranded, as the annual monsoon hit the country earlier than normal, officials said. Authorities called in military helicopters to try to rescue residents and pilgrims cut off by rising rivers and landslides triggered by more than three days of rain in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, officials said. —–EDITORS NOTE—- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / INDIAN ARMY” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Jalandhar: Families of the eight Punjabi men, who went missing in Uttarakhand in June, have accused the Chamoli district police of botching the investigation and trying to close the case by passing it off as a mishap. The missing persons include US-based NRI Harkewal Singh and his father, Paramjit Singh.

The Uttarakhand police have been claiming that the vehicle carrying the men was washed away in flash floods in the Alaknanda river and its remains, including rubber pieces and a Toyota logo, besides a turban, were identified by Narinder Singh, brother of a passenger, Kirpal Singh.

Refuting the claim, Narinder said the police were pressuring him not to pursue the case. “No turban was found at the purported accident site. It was a piece of cloth hanging from a cliff. I was asked to identify it, but I couldn’t do it. However, I asked them to let me take it along to show it to my family,” said Narinder. He also denied media reports that the turban was cremated symbolically in his native village.

“They tried to influence me through the Amritsar police, but I and the others refused to budge,” he said.

Gurpreet Singh, brother of missing driver Mehanga Singh, refuted Chamoli SP Tripti Bhatt’s claim that his family had identified beadings of the vehicle. “I was in Dubai when the incident happened and came back a few days later. It was a group of drivers from our local taxi stand who went to identify the vehicle’s parts, but they failed to do so,” Gurpreet said.

Manjit Kaur, wife of US-based Harkewal Singh, said the police had got the identification done from persons who were not known or related to the missing persons.

“They are trying to show that it was an accident, but we are not convinced. How is it possible that the driver’s Aadhaar card was found over 280 km from the site?” said Manjit, fearing for the safety of her husband and father-in-law.

When contacted, the Chamoli SP said Mehanga’s father and other family members had identified the vehicle’s parts. When informed that Mehanga’s father Gajjan Singh had died in 2009, she claimed that it was Narinder who had identified the turban of his brother, Kirpal.

Uttarakhand DGP Anil K Raturi said if the families were not satisfied with the probe, a fresh investigation could be initiated. “We will help the families trace their kin,” said Raturi.

Meanwhile, North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) executive director Satnam Singh Chahal has written to the Ministry of External Affairs, seeking its intervention to get the case probed by a Central agency.

The Tribune (tribuneindia.com Sep 16, 2017)