E/CN.4/1995/34 page 71 371. Sobejan Bibi, a domestic worker from Digberia, West Bengal, was allegedly raped and killed on 4 September 1993 by two Border Security Force members who were said to have been drunk. She was found with multiple stab wounds near the Border Security Force Provisioning Complex, which houses the 65 Battalion of the paramilitary force. A complaint was reportedly registered by her family and a post-mortem examination was carried out, the results of which were unknown. Follow-up to cases previously transmitted 372. In his communication of 21 August 1992, the Special Rapporteur informed the Government of allegations received in regard to Savinder Singh, according to which he had been tortured and forced to jump out of a window during an interrogation on 28 February 1992 at the Directorate of Enforcement of the Ministry of Finance at Loknayak Bhavan, South Delhi. On 24 December 1992 the Government replied that an investigation had revealed serious lapses on the part of the officials concerned and that action against two officers of the Directorate of Enforcement had been recommended. The Government also communicated that the Supreme Court had issued orders that the additional district and sessions judge should conduct the investigation and submit a report directly to the Supreme Court. The communication of the Government was reflected in the previous report (E/CN.4/1994/31, para. 302). 373. In his communication of 28 June 1994 the Special Rapporteur informed the Government that he had received new information, according to which the report of the sessions judge, sent to the Supreme Court in June 1993, was to result in prosecution of four officials by the Criminal Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of illegally confining, torturing and possibly pushing Savinder Singh to his death. The report had ruled out suicide as a cause of death. The CBI was reportedly ordered to institute a detailed investigation and file a police case against the four officers. The Attorney-General was said to have informed the Court that the Government could not accept the conclusions of the report and that it reserved the right to challenge the findings in future. In a related development, the Patiala High Court reportedly ordered the Directorate of Enforcement to pay 2 lakh (about $445) in compensation to Savinder Singh’s widow. Urgent appeals sent and replies received 374. The Special Rapporteur made three urgent appeals in the cases described in the following paragraphs. The dates on which the appeals were transmitted appear in brackets at the end of the corresponding summaries. 375. The following staff members of the Punjab daily Aj Di Awaz (Today’s Voice) were reportedly arrested on 11 January 1994 following a police raid on the premises of the newspaper: Gurdeep Singh, Malkir Singh, Jasbir Singh Khalsa, Jasbir Singh Manowan, Debvinder Singh, Amrik Singh, Ajab Singh and Kuldeep Singh. The police reportedly denied later that they were holding Gurdeep Singh and Malkir Singh, whose whereabouts were unknown. In view of numerous allegations received concerning torture or ill-treatment of people arrested in Punjab under TADA, fears were expressed that these persons might be subject to similar treatment (24 January 1994).

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