Moga, Nov 08: Ten years after a militant was killed at the hands of security forces in Punjab, the state police have started a probe into the incident under directions from the Punjab and Haryana court. A head constable of the state police alleged in a writ petition in 1998 that Nachhatar Singh was killed by the police in a fake encounter in Moga district in April 1993.

Superintendent of police (crime branch), Surinder Pal Parmar recorded the statements of four police officials including two assistant sub inspectors of police and two head constables besides visiting the site of alleged fake encounter near Takhanvadh village.

Parmar also recorded the statement of Dalip Kaur, mother of the slain militant Nachhatar Singh. In the writ petition head constable Kasturi Lal alleged that in 1993 he was a police commando here and Dalip Kaur had approached him to try persuade her son to give up militant activities and join the mainstream.

The petitioner says that he himself handed over Nachhatar Singh to Mehna police here on April 29, 1993.

He said in the petition he was called after two days by then SSP Faridkot and SP (operation) at Mehna police station and in Kasturi Lal's presence Nachhatar Singh was allegedly tortured and he later died in police custody. Bureau Report