View source for 1991 Sikh killings in Uttar Pradesh

{{Short description|Pilibhit forest massacre in Uttar Pradesh, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = 1991 Sikh killings in Uttar Pradesh
| location = [[Pilibhit Tiger Reserve]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]
| date = 13 July 1991
| image = 
| coordinates = {{coord|28|43|7.7196|N|80|4|19.0848|E|region:IN-UP|format=dms|display=inline, title}}
| target = [[Sikhs]]
| type = {{Cslist|[[Extrajudicial killings]]|[[Encounter killing|Encounters]]|[[Abuse]]|[[Shooting]]}}
| fatalities = 10
| motive = [[Counterterrorism]]
| convicted = 43<ref name = "Conviction">{{cite web |url=https://thewire.in/law/allahabad-high-court-convicts-cops-extrajudicial-killing-sikhs-pilibhit|title=Allahabad HC Convicts 43 Cops|work=The Wire}}</ref>
| notes = 
}}

On 12 July 1991, a vehicle carrying 25 [[Sikh]] pilgrims was stopped by the police at a checkpoint in [[Budaun district]] of [[Uttar Pradesh]], India. Eleven of the male passengers were detained by police, ten of whom were later shot dead by police on 13 July 1991 in three different locations in the deep forest of [[Pilibhit tiger reserve]] in [[Pilibhit]] distinct, who alleged they were [[Terrorism|terrorists]]. The status of the eleventh detainee, a 15-year-old boy, remains unknown. <ref name="Extrajudicial executions at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve">{{cite web |date=1991-09-29 |title= Extrajudicial executions at Pilibhit tiger reserve |url= https://www.amnesty.org/es/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/asa200331991en.pdf |work=[[Amnesty International]] |publisher=}}</ref> The independent investigation done by various media agencies as well as political parties did conclude that two of the 10 killed were actually wanted militants - Baljit Singh of [[Khalistan Liberation Army]] and [[Khalistan Commando Force]] chieftain Jaswant Singh 'Fauji'. <ref name="Wanted terrorists">{{Cite web |last=Sandhu |first=Kanwar |date=1991-08-15 |title=Wanted terrorists|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19910815-encounter-killing-of-10-sikhs-raises-furore-in-uttar-pradesh-814665-1991-08-14 |access-date=2025-10-01 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> In 2016, 47 police officers involved with the killings were sentenced to life in prison; these sentences were overturned by a higher court, who in 2022 sentenced 43 of the officers to seven years in prison and fine. <ref name="Court Rulings">{{cite web |date= 2016-04-04 |title= Court Rulings |url= https://cbi.gov.in/press-detail/MTg3MQ== |work=[[Central Bureau of Investigation|CBI]] |publisher=}}</ref>

==Background==
[[Pilibhit]] lies in the [[Terai]] region of [[Uttar Pradesh]], in the marshy plains along the [[Nepal]] border. The Terai is adjacent to [[Punjab]] and a significant [[Sikh]] migrant population from [[Pakistan]] were settled here after [[partition of India]]. Because of its proximity and demographic profile, local suspicions and tensions exist about spill over from militant activities in Punjab. Due to which the terai had become associated with arms and [[drug smuggling]] routes from Punjab and Nepal, and that militants and criminal gangs operate in the area. Some police officials are alleged to be colluding with criminal networks or militants, complicating the distinction between state efforts for security and abuses.<ref name="Militency at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve">{{cite web |date=1991-09-29 |title=Militency at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/i/india/india919.pdf |work=[[Human Rights Watch]] |publisher=}}</ref>

To counter what was perceived as militant threats, the [[Uttar Pradesh police]] undertook search operations and detained many Sikh men, often under the [[Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act]] (TADA). Many of these arrests and detentions were arbitrary, lacking due process, and in some cases led to summary executions or disappearances. TADA is a special security law that allows administrative detention, extends the period for interrogation in police custody, restricts bail, relies on secret witnesses, allows confessions, and limits access to appeal. Under TADA, many safeguards of criminal procedure and due process are suspended or diluted. Which further results in to abuses, [[extrajudicial killing]]s, disappearances, custodial torture, and [[Encounter killing|staged encounters]] frequently, and with little accountability.<ref>{{cite web |date=2021-11-17 |title= Lessons from a massacre |url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/Pilibhit-fake-encouter-Lessons-from-a-massacre/article59784269.ece |work=[[The Hindu]] |publisher=}}</ref>

==Incident==
From 29 June to 13 July 1991, a vehicle carrying 25 Sikh pilgrims was touring several states (Uttar Pradesh, [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[Maharashtra]]). The group included 13 men (two elderly), 9 women and 3 children (ages 10, 12 and 15). The [[pilgrimage]] began from [[Nanakmatta|Nanakmatha sahib]] in [[Nainital district]], visited various Sikh religious sites en-route and were on the way to [[Hazur Sahib|Hazur Sahib Gurdwara]] in [[Nanded]] in [[Maharashtra]]. <ref name="Pilgrimage">{{cite web |date=1991-09-29 |title= Pilgrimage|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/i/india/india919.pdf |work=[[Human Rights Watch]] |publisher=}}</ref>

On 12 July 1991, the vehicle was traveling in Uttar Pradesh and was stopped by the police at a checkpoint in [[Budaun district|Badaun district]] (Kachla Ghat) as police got a tip-off on some militants were onboard the bus. The police surrounded the vehicle with multiple police vans, trucks, and jeeps and ordered the tourists' vehicle to a police post. About 60–70 armed policemen were said to be present. Police removed the 13 male passengers, tied their hands behind their backs, alleged insults and instructions to keep heads down. Both elderly men were returned to the vehicle later; the remaining 11 men were detained. During the ensuing journey, police continued to accompany the vehicle, remained aboard, directed its route, and forbade the passengers to look around or move. The men’s personal belongings were confiscated. The vehicle was then diverted to the [[Pilibhit]] Guest House, but shortly after, it was ordered to stop near a canal. The detainees were taken away, and police questioned one of the women about her son, a previously arrested individual. The vehicle continued to Pilibhit and then was allowed to disperse; the detained men were not allowed contact with families or lawyers. <ref name="Under Custody">{{cite web |date=1991-09-29 |title= Under Custody|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/i/india/india919.pdf |work=[[Human Rights Watch]] |publisher=}}</ref>

==Encounter==
On 14 July 1991, news emerged that ten of the eleven detained men had been killed in three separate [[Encounter killing|encounters]] in the forested region near the Nepal border, which is now called [[Pilibhit Tiger Reserve]]. One minor detainee, a 15-year-old boy Talvinder Singh (also known as “Billu”), son of one of the organisers of the pilgrimage, whose status remains unknown. [[Superintendent (police)|Police Superintendent]] R.D. Tripathi claimed the men were terrorists, associated with organizations like the [[Khalistan Liberation Force]] and [[Khalistan Commando Force]], and that the encounters occurred at various places at night. However, independent investigation concluded that two of the 10 killed in these encounters were indeed well-known militants - Baljit Singh of [[Khalistan Liberation Army]] and [[Khalistan Commando Force]] chieftain Jaswant Singh 'Fauji' ; the rest appear unconnected to [[militant]] activity. <ref name="Two detainees were known terrorists">{{Cite web |last=Sandhu |first=Kanwar |date=1991-08-15 |title=Two detainees were known terrorists|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19910815-encounter-killing-of-10-sikhs-raises-furore-in-uttar-pradesh-814665-1991-08-14 |access-date=2025-10-01 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> Investigations by various groups noted that some of the bodies were discovered by villagers or reported by journalists. One farmer near a site claimed a man cried for help, then gunshots were heard. The bodies were allegedly cremated early morning; families and legal representatives were not informed or allowed to claim the bodies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sandhu |first=Kanwar |date=1991-08-15 |title='Encounter' killing of 10 Sikhs raises furore in Uttar Pradesh |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19910815-encounter-killing-of-10-sikhs-raises-furore-in-uttar-pradesh-814665-1991-08-14 |access-date=2025-10-01 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>

==Victims==
Of the eleven men taken into custody, ten were later reported killed in three separate incidents.<ref name="Victims">{{cite web |date=1991-09-29 |title=ENCOUNTER IN PILIBHIT - Executions of Sikhs in Uttar Pradesh, India |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/i/india/india919.pdf |work=[[Human Rights Watch]] |publisher=}}</ref> Later in April 2016, The Court ordered payment of Rs.14 lakh each to the victim's families. <ref name="Compensation">{{cite web |date=2016-04-04 |title= Compensation |url= https://cbi.gov.in/press-detail/MTg3MQ== |work=[[Central Bureau of Investigation|CBI]] |publisher=}}</ref> The list of victims include Baljit Singh, a wanted terrorist of [[Khalistan Liberation Army]] and Jaswant Singh Fauji, another wanted terrorist of [[Khalistan Commando Force]], Along with other pilgrims Jaswant Singh, Harbinder Singh, Sujan Singh, Bichchettar Singh, Kartar Singh and Tarsem Singh; all resident of [[Gurdaspur]], [[Punjab]]. Surmej Singh, and Narender Singh of Amaria, [[Pilibhit district|Pilibhit]].<ref name="List Of Victims">{{cite web |date=1991-09-29 |title=List Of Victims|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/i/india/india919.pdf |work=[[Human Rights Watch]] |publisher=}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
Musaraf Hussain, the bus driver gave sworn [[testimony]] describing how the bus was stopped, how police intervened, how he was threatened and coerced into leaving blank statements, and ultimately how he feared for his life. Witnesses who had signed affidavits filed in the Supreme Court were reportedly intimidated. One was followed in a police van, threatened in the gurdwara, and asked not to testify. Notices were sent out by Pilibhit police to Sikh men in the region, accusing them of harboring terrorists and warning them under penal and anti‑terror laws. The frequency of such notices increased after the incident. Public outcry and media attention forced the state government to respond: on 23 July 1991, Superintendent Tripathi was transferred. On 21 August, the [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]] ordered compensation of Rs.50,000 for each dependent of the ten killed men.<ref name="Supreme Court ordered compensation">{{cite web |date=1991-09-29 |title=Supreme Court ordered compensation|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/i/india/india919.pdf |work=[[Human Rights Watch]] |publisher=}}</ref> The [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] charged 47 officers involved with the incident in 1991.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-04-05 |title=47 Indian police sentenced to life over Sikh pilgrim killings |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-05/47-indian-police-sentenced-to-life-for-killing-sikh-pilgrims/7302030 |access-date=2025-10-01 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]}}</ref> In 2016, a special court sentenced 47 of those officers to life in prison for their involvement in setting up and covering up the killings; ten of the charged officers had died by that point.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-04-04 |title=Life sentences for 47 Indian policemen |url=https://www.dw.com/en/47-indian-policemen-get-life-sentences-for-1991-sikh-killings/a-19163431 |access-date=2025-10-01 |website=[[Deutsche Welle]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Indian police receive life sentences for 1991 Sikh killings |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35965553 |work=BBC |date=4 April 2016 }}</ref> In 2022, [[Allahabad High Court]] convicted 43 officers for the killings, sentencing them to seven years in prison.<ref name="Aftermath">{{cite web |date=2022-12-16 |title=Allahabad HC Convicts 43 Cops |url=https://thewire.in/law/allahabad-high-court-convicts-cops-extrajudicial-killing-sikhs-pilibhit |work=The Wire |publisher=}}</ref>

==Conviction==
The court convicted all 47 cops, but 4 cops had already died by the time, so court sentenced only 43 officers to seven years in prison and fined Rs.11 lakh each to then [[Station house officer]]s, Rs.8 lakh each to then [[Sub-inspector]]s and Rs.2.75 lakh each to the [[Constable]].<ref name="Convicted Cops">{{cite web |date= 2016-04-04 |title= Convicted Cops |url=https://cbi.gov.in/press-detail/MTg3MQ==|work=[[Central Bureau of Investigation|CBI]] |publisher=[[Central Bureau of Investigation]]}}</ref> List of conspirators include Gyan Giri, Subhash Chandra, Lakhan Singh, Nazim Khan, Harpal Singh, Rajendra Singh, Narayan Das, Krishna Veer, Karan Singh, Rakesh Singh, Nemchandra, Shamsher Ahmed, Satyendra Singh, Badan Singh, Devendra Pandey, Mohd. Anees, Ramesh Chandra,Veer Pal Singh, Natthu Singh, Dhaniram, Sugamchandra, Kalacter Singh, Kunwar Pal Singh, Shyam Babu, Banwari Lal, Dinesh Singh, Sunil Kumar Dixit,Arvind Singh, Ram Nagina,Vijay Kumar Singh, Vijendra Singh, M.P. Mittal, M.C. Durgapal, R.K. Raghav, Surjeet Singh, Udai Pal Singh, Munna Khan, Durvijay Singh, Mahaveer Singh, Gaya Ram, Ragister Singh, Rasid Hussain, Syed Ali Raza Rizvi, Satyapal Singh, Harpal Singh, Ram Chandra Singh.<ref name="List of conspirators">{{cite web |date= 2016-04-04 |title= List of conspirators |url=https://cbi.gov.in/press-detail/MTg3MQ==|work=[[Central Bureau of Investigation|CBI]] |publisher=[[Central Bureau of Investigation]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
{{portal|India}}
* [[Khalistan Liberation Force]] 
* [[Khalistan Commando Force]]
* [[Khalistan]]
* [[Pilibhit Tiger Reserve]]

{{Bareilly division topics}}
{{Religious persecution|state=collapsed}}
[[Category:1990s in Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:1991 in India]]
[[Category:Anti-Sikh sentiment]]
[[Category:Extrajudicial killings in India]]
[[Category:July 1991 in Asia]]
[[Category:Killings by law enforcement officers in India]]
[[Category:Pilibhit district]]
[[Category:Sikhism in India]]