Nabha Jail Authorities Sound Alert Over Missing Convict
The authorities at Nabha Open Air Jail have ordered an urgent verification process to trace the whereabouts of former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jaspal Singh. The former high-ranking police official is a life convict in the high-profile 1995 abduction and murder of renowned human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Singh had been out on interim bail since May 2023 but has recently gone missing from official tracking, prompting prison administration and local police to launch a discreet search operation.
Controversy Surrounding OTT Film Triggered Search
The sudden scramble to verify the location of the tainted former cop comes immediately after the massive public controversy surrounding the digital release of the film Satluj. The movie, which depicts the real-life struggles of Jaswant Singh Khalra and the extrajudicial actions in Punjab during the militancy era, was abruptly taken down from an OTT platform days after its release. The intense public spotlight on the cinematic portrayal of the historical event jolted the Punjab Police and jail authorities into reviewing the current status of the principal character portrayed in the events—former DSP Jaspal Singh.
Background of the 1995 Khalra Disappearance
Jaswant Singh Khalra, who was the general secretary of the Human Rights Wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal, was abducted from his Amritsar residence by Punjab Police personnel on September 6, 1995. Before his abduction, Khalra had uncovered a massive state-wide scandal involving the illegal cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies by security forces. Following a Habeas Corpus petition filed by his wife, Paramjit Kaur, the Supreme Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. The central agency revealed that Khalra was illegally detained, brutally tortured, shot dead inside the Jhabal police station, and his body was thrown into a canal near Harike to destroy evidence.
Judicial Timeline and Previous Bail Orders
On November 18, 2005, a special CBI court in Patiala convicted Jaspal Singh along with five other police officials, sentencing them to life imprisonment for murder, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy. The conviction was upheld by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2007, and the Supreme Court gave finality to the life sentence in November 2011. Jaspal Singh spent a major portion of his sentence in the Nabha Open Jail. In May 2023, he was granted interim bail by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Patiala on a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh, following legal arguments regarding a pending sentence remission proposal sent to the Governor.
Coordination with Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar Police
With the convict currently untraceable at his recorded locations, the Nabha jail administration has officially contacted the local police stations. According to jail records, Jaspal Singh’s native address is in Cheema Nagar, Jalandhar, while his alternative residency is listed in Majhi village under the jurisdiction of the Hoshiarpur Sadar police station. Assistant Jail Superintendent Jaskinder Singh stated that the verification process has been initiated, and field units are physically visiting the listed addresses to confirm whether the former cop has violated his bail conditions or fled.
