Death in Police Custody: Murder Trial Set for Five Policemen in Bathinda; Court Cites ‘Sufficient Evidence’

March 19, 2026

A significant turn has occurred in the case involving the death of an individual while in police custody at CIA-1 approximately a year and a half ago. A local court has ordered a trial against five personnel of the Punjab Police on charges including murder and other grave offenses, subsequently transferring the case to the Sessions Court. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for April 20.

During the proceedings, the Court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class explicitly stated that there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial against the accused. The accused include the then-in-charge of CIA-1, Inspector Navpreet Singh; Head Constable Rajwinder Singh; and Constables Gaganpreet Singh, Harjit Singh, and Jaswinder Singh. All were posted at the CIA-1 unit at the time of the incident.

The case pertains to the death of Bhinder Singh, a resident of Lakhi Jungle village in the district. A judicial inquiry revealed that Bhinder Singh was allegedly subjected to torture while being held in unlawful custody. According to the report, he was tortured using “waterboarding”—a technique that simulates the sensation of drowning. The investigation also found that, following his death, a fabricated story involving drowning in a lake was concocted to portray the incident as an accident.

Based on digital and forensic evidence, the judicial inquiry rejected the claims made by the police. On October 19, 2024, the deceased’s brother, Satnam Singh, had written to the Sessions Judge, alleging illegal detention and torture. Mobile call detail records also indicated that the deceased and the Inspector were present in the same locality at the same time.

The two-day delay in conducting the post-mortem examination was also deemed suspicious during the investigation. The police had claimed that Bhinder Singh had jumped into a lake near a thermal plant; however, the court did not accept this theory. The family has already staged protests, asserting that the death occurred while the victim was in custody.