Following the death of an accused in the Gurdaspur policemen murder case, his family is demanding a CBI probe and a fresh autopsy, raising questions about the police encounter and seeking justice.
The family of Ranjit Singh, one of the accused in the murder of two policemen in Gurdaspur, who was killed in an encounter with police, staged a sit-in on Sunday demanding a CBI probe into his death.
The family also demanded a fresh autopsy by the PGIMER in Chandigarh.
Locals and representatives of social and religious organisations also joined the protest on the Babbri Bypass in Gurdaspur.
Punjab Police ASI Gurnam Singh and home guard Ashok Kumar were found dead on February 22 with gunshot wounds inside a checkpost at Adhian village in Gurdaspur district, about 2 km from the International Border with Pakistan.
Police later identified Ranjit Singh (19), Inderjit Singh (21) and Dilawar Singh (19) for their alleged involvement in the killings, believed to be at the behest of their Pakistan-based handlers backed by the spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Ranjit, a resident of Adhian village, was shot dead in an exchange of fire with police on Wednesday after he fled from their custody.
Ranjit's family has raised questions over the encounter, which sparked criticism from several political leaders who sought a judicial probe into the matter.
Ranjit's family also refused to accept his body for cremation until they got "justice".
Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who took part in Sunday's protest, termed the encounter fake and alleged that Punjab had been turned into a police state.
"If the AAP government can authorise police to kill people like this, Arvind Kejriwal should remove pictures of B R Ambedkar and shut down the criminal justice system in Punjab, disband the army of prosecution, and announce that only police will decide who will live and who will die," Khaira said in a post on X.