Former terrorist Sukhi acquitted in 23-year-old murder case

JALANDHAR: Terrorist-turned-police cat Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi alias Harjit Singh Kahlon was acquitted in a 23-year-old murder case of Communist party candidate Varinder Gagan and his two bodyguards in June 1991 during the run up to the assembly elections, which were countermanded by the Election Commission at the eleventh hour.
Sukhi was acquitted by the court of additional district sessions judge Arun Veer Vashisht for want of evidence.He was arrested by Punjab Police after Delhi police arrested him in September 2012 along with drug lord Raja Kandhola.
Sukhi was among the 300 terrorists-turned-police cats rehabilitated by Punjab Police and enjoyed patronage of Punjab Police for 15 years since his killing in an "encounter" was faked by them to help him live under an assumed identity. However, his lid as blown off by the media in 2006. It came to light that he had taken up a new identity of Harjit Singh Kahlon and was living in Jalandhar and running his own travel agency. Following this expose, Punjab DGP S S Virk not only openly admitted in a press conference that Sukhi was rehabilitated, but also disclosed that there were 300 such persons.
However, the police did not arrest him despite the fact that his name figured in serious cases.
Sukhi ran out of luck after SAD-BJP and Virk's friend-turned-foe Sumedh Saini, who was given the charge of vigilance bureau, started calling the shots. VB started hounding former DGP S S Virk, who had by then got himself repatriated to his parent cadre, Maharashtra. When Punjab vigilance bureau booked Virk in 2007 for assets disproportionate to his income and arrested him from Delhi, he was also accused of harbouring Sukhi, in the FIR. However, after Sukhi allegedly threatened to expose the other police officers, the cops allegedly started going soft on him.
Sukhi is also an accused in the killing of nine BSP workers.