CALIFORNIA MURDERS

Ex-Indian Army officer kills family, self in US 

Los Angeles, June 10
A former Indian Army officer, Major Avtar Singh, who was wanted in India for the murder of a prominent Kashmiri lawyer, has killed himself along with his wife and two children in his California home.

Singh (47) had fled to the United States after he was accused of killing Jaleel Andrabi, a Kashmiri lawyer and activist associated with the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), whose body was found floating in the Jhelum River in March 1996.

Andrabi, 42, was allegedly detained by a unit of Rashtriya Rifles led by Major Singh and his body was found a day later.

Authorities in Selma, California, believe Singh shot his family and then took his own life. Singh was found dead in the living room with an apparent gunshot wound to his head, officials said.

Singh called Selma police around 6:15 am yesterday and told them that he had killed members of his family and was going to kill himself, frenscobee.com quoted the Fresno County Sheriff's Office as saying.

A woman, believed to be Singh's wife, and a three-year-old boy were found in the home's master bedroom dead of gunshot wounds to the head, officials said.

The body of a 15-year-old boy was discovered in another bedroom, also with a gunshot wound to the head.

Selma police called the Fresno County Sheriff's Office to assist because they were aware that Singh had military experience in India, the report said.

Outside Singh's home, officers and deputies tried to contact him verbally and by telephone, but he did not respond.

‘Three lives could have been saved had ex-Army officer been extradited to India’ 

File photo of Jaleel Andrabi 

Srinagar, June 10
As the news about the suicide by former Major Avtar Singh, the main accused in the 1996 killing of Kashmiri lawyer Jaleel Andrabi, broke this morning, the Andrabi family in uptown Srinagar rued that had New Delhi got the former Army officer extradited to India, three lives could have been saved.
“Avtar Singh’s family would have been alive if the government had conducted the trial and got him extradited from the US,” Jaleel’s elder brother Arshad Andrabi said.
Arshad said the J&K police, New Delhi, the US Government and the Interpol failed to bring justice to them. “It is also the failure of justice at all levels,” Arshad said.
Avtar Singh reportedly killed his wife and two of their children in their California home before committing suicide today. Avtar Singh, as per reports, had called the Selma police in California about the death of three family members before ending his life.
“Had Avtar Singh, against whom there was an Interpol red-corner notice, faced trial, other details about the murder of my brother would have also come to the fore.
He could not have killed my brother all alone. There must have been other persons who must have been instrumental in the killing of the noted lawyer,” Arshad said, adding that five FIRs were registered against Avtar Singh.
The 36-year-old lawyer and human rights activist, Jaleel Andrabi, was arrested by an Army team, led by a Major, on March 8, 1996, when he was driving home along with his wife. Some 20 days later, Andrabi’s decomposed, trussed-up body was recovered from the Jhelum.
The report of a special investigation team set up by the J&K High Court in June 1996 identified “an Army Major of 103 Territorial Army posted at Rawalpora as prima facie responsible for the death”.
On the orders of the High Court, a murder case was registered against Major Avtar Singh and others. Singh later fled to the US after he was accused of murder.
Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Srinagar, Mohammed Ibrahim Wani on February 6, 2010, issued an Interpol red-corner notice against Major Avtar Singh.
The court had also directed the J&K Government and the Ministry of External Affairs to vigorously pursue the extradition of Major Avtar Singh. The case is now pending for trial before the court of the CJM, Srinagar, for over a decade.
Singh was arrested by the California police in February this year following a complaint by his wife in connection with a domestic dispute.
A noted human rights activist, Khuram Parvaiz, said the “impunity granted by the Indian state facilitated the murder of three more persons by Avtar Singh”.
“His suicide and the murder of his family members is no justice for Kashmiris. Justice is still awaited...,” he said.

A peep into the case

l Jaleel Andrabi was arrested by an Army Major on March 8, 1996
l Jaleel’s decomposed body was recovered from the Jhelum on May 27
l SIT was set up by the J&K High Court in June 1996, which identified Major Avtar Singh for Andrabi’s death
l Singh later fled to the US after he was accused of murder
l The CJM, Srinagar, on Febuaray 6, 2010, issued an Interpol red-corner notice against Major Avtar Singh. The court also directed the government to extradite him from the USl The case is lying pending for trial before the court of the CJM, Srinagar, for over a decade.

Sukhbir Badal, SAD president & Deputy Chief Minister Punjab at Seminar

Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Punjab and  Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Member Parliament from Bathinda and  Shamina Shafique, representative of National Commission for Women discussing a point  during national level seminar on Overseas Marriages at Jalandhar

 

SAD –BJP combine gets 38 seats in Patiala MC, Congress 6, 2 independent

PATIALA: The ruling SAD-BJP combine today managed to get majority in municipal corporation elections by winning 38 seats.

Sad has got 30 seats while its alliance partner has got 8 seats. The Congress has got only six seats and two independents have won the elections.

Akali Dal-BJP sweep Punjab civic polls

Alliance retains hold on 4 MCs n 75% turnout n Reports of widespread rigging n One dead, 2 MLAs among 13 hurt 

CHANDIGARH: The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) alliance made a clean sweep in the municipal election in Punjab Sunday winning four municipal corporations, three municipal councils and 26 nagar panchayats, an official said. 

Stray incidents of violence, including a firing incident in Ludhiana city, and clashes between Akali Dal and Congress workers were reported at some places. Tension prevailed in Patiala city, 80 km from here, as Congress and Akali Dal workers clashed. 

One person was critically injured in a firing incident on the outskirts of Ludhiana city. 

Results of the election, polling for which was held Sunday 8 am-4 pm, were declared late in the evening. 

Akali Dal secretary Daljit Singh Cheema said that the Akali DAl-BJP combine had swept the municipal elections in the state. 

He said that the alliance was the winner in the four municipal corporations, three municipal councils and 26 nagar panchayats' elections. He said that the alliance had a comfortable majority in all civic bodies. 

The results again showed the domination of the alliance, which had won the January assembly polls, and the decimation of the Congress in Punjab's electoral politics. 

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh said that the elections were "a murder of democracy". 

He said that the Akalis wanted to win at any cost and resorted to foul means like booth capturing, intimidation and brutal abuse of state power during the elections. 

Amarinder Singh and some other Congress leaders were manhandled Sunday in Patiala. 

The Congress faced embarrassment in Amarinder's home town Patiala as the ruling alliance won 39 out of the 49 seats for which results were declared. The Congress won only eight seats. 

In Jalandhar, the alliance bagged the majority winning 30 seats out of the 59 results declared, Cheema said. 

In Amritsar, the combine won 48 out of the 65 seats. 

In Ludhiana, they won 42 seats out of the 70 results declared in the 75-member house. 

Cheema said that the results had shown that the voters had accepted the development agenda of the Akali Dal-BJP alliance and rejected the negative agenda of the Congress. 

Amarinder Singh criticised the role of police and the local administration in the municipal elections. 

"It is the saddest day in the history of Punjab when the Akali-BJP alliance let loose a reign of terror in a city like Patiala and did not allow people to cast their votes," Amarinder Singh said.

Dr. Cheema said that in elections to three municipal councils SAD-BJP alliance had already won Dharmkot elections unopposed and in Nagar Panchat elections Makhu and Mallanwala had also been won unopposed. (Detailed Chart of elections has been enclosed) 

The SAD Spokesman further said that the results in today's civic elections has once again proved that people have voted for the pro-development agenda of the SAD-BJP alliance. The second consecutive victory in the elections in the state has confirmed the faith of the people in programmes and policies of the SAD-BJP alliance. He said that the SAD-BJP goverment has done unprecedented development in the urban areas of the state and people of the state want development to continue and this mandate is for all round development of urban areas.

"The people of the state have totally rejected the negative agenda of the Congress party" added Dr. Cheema.

The SAD has emerged the No.1 party in Punjab’s urban areas. The civic elections have dispelled the myth that we have a rural base alone. Social engineering that provides equal representation to all communities in urban and rural areas helped us win all seats in several nagar panchayats

— Sukhbir Badal, SAD president & Deputy Chief Minister Punjab