BANGKOK, THAILAND – Jagtar Singh Tara, the alleged assassin of ex-Punjab CM Beant Singh has been deported by Thailand to India. After Tara was arrested, A Thai court on January 6, ordered Tara’s extradition on the request of Indian authorities for his alleged role in August 1995 bombing.
The development came days after a Bangkok court on Tuesday ordered Jagtar Singh Tara’s extradition from Thailand to India.
Thai police had sought permission from Thailand’s Supreme Court to send Jagtar Singh back to India. They were given approval by the court on Thursday.
“He was sent back yesterday at 8.30 p.m. It followed the court’s procedure,” said Police Lieutenant General Prawut Thawonrsiri, a spokesman for the Royal Thai Police.
However, the US-based rights group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) had hired top Thai attorneys to help ‘Tara’ challenge the Thai Criminal Court’s order to extradite him to India.
“Ignoring the strong possibility of torture and death penalty to Tara, if he is extradited to India, will run counter to Thailand’s obligation under the U.N. Convention Against Torture,” Danthong Breen, a Thai rights activist, told reporters in Bangkok.
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Beant Singh who was assassinated in August 1995 bombing was responsible for torture, disappearances and extra judicial killing of over 100,000 Sikhs during his tenure as Chief Minister of Punjab.