Nearly 135 policemen, most of them from lower ranks, have been convicted and sentenced in Punjab so far as part of the pursuit of justice launched by human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra against the police for carrying out fake encounters and cremating unclaimed bodies.Khalra’s pursuit of justice, which eventually cost him his life, is in the news again after a movie, “Satluj”, was taken off OTT platform ZEE5. The move has renewed calls for justice for him, with actor Diljit Dosanjh, who played the role of Khalra in the film, leading the movement on social media with a cryptic post: “Seems Khalra cannot get justice even so many years after his death.”Khalra’s fight began in the early 1990s when he claimed that 25,000 “innocent” youths were killed in staged encounters by the police during the days of terrorism in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Khalra was also abducted and killed in September 1995. His body was never recovered.According to figures available with the police and lawyers, nearly 135 policemen have been sentenced to imprisonment over fake encounters.In 2005, a CBI court in Patiala sentenced six police officials for the disappearance and killing of Khalra. DSP Jaspal Singh and ASI Amarjit Singh were sentenced to life imprisonment, while SHOs/Sub-Inspectors Satnam Singh, Surinderpal Singh and Jasbir Singh, along with Head Constable Pritpal Singh, received seven-year terms each for abduction and conspiracy.However, many fake encounter cases he had flagged are still pending.Advocate Sarabjit Singh Verka, who has fought many such cases, said the convictions were delayed for decades. Quoting judgments, he said after Khalra’s disappearance, then SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra sent telegrams to the Supreme Court seeking a probe. A Bench led by Justice Kuldip Singh directed the CBI to investigate. The agency identified 2,087 cases and filed 70 FIRs in 2001. However, trials were delayed for almost 25 years due to lack of government sanction for prosecution. Meanwhile, the Akali Dal-led Punjab Government established a legal cell in the police department to defend the accused.Verka said the sanction for prosecution was finally granted in 2020 after the Supreme Court’s intervention, leading to a wave of convictions over the past two years. Of the 70 FIRs, six cases are still pending. Among the 64 cases decided so far, only one resulted in an acquittal.“I would say justice has been served but a lot needs to be done. The police committed a grave crime, but another agency — the CBI — conducted a thorough probe and delivered justice.”Verka said, however, the families had not received adequate compensation and some felt the sentences could have been harsher.Most of the sentenced police officials were from the lower ranks. Senior officers included DIGs Balkar Singh Sidhu, Dilbagh Singh and Kultar Singh, as well as SSPs Bhupinder Singh, Amarjit Singh, and Surinder Pal Singh.Mohinder Singh, general secretary of the Punjab Police Welfare Association, said the policemen who received prison sentences were actually victims of terrorism and the system. “They faced bullets from the terrorists. The police morale was down and cops were the main targets. They did what the seniors told them to do. Their families are also seeking financial compensation from the government.”