Sippy murder case: Judge's daughter identified in test parade held by CBI

Tribune News Service

Amit Sharma

Chandigarh, June 15

Kalyani Singh, arrested in the Sukhmanpreet Singh Sidhu, aka Sippy Sidhu, murder case, was identified in the Test Identification Parade (TIP) conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). She is an assistant professor at Post-Graduate Government College, Sector 42.

CBI sources confirmed that Kalyani was identified during the TIP. However, they did not divulge information about the witnesses involved in the TIP. Three witnesses are part of the prosecution theory, including Amreeta Singh, a resident of Sector 27, who is an eyewitness.

During the investigation, she had revealed that she was present on the first floor of her house when she heard gunshots followed by a girl’s scream around 9.30 pm on September 20. She went out towards the balcony facing the main gate where she saw a small white car parked under the street light near the main gate of her house. She also noticed a girl, aged around 26-27, swiftly coming from the park towards her car. She then drove away from the spot.

Finally a ray of hope after 7 yrs: Mother

We finally see a ray of hope. The first arrest has been made by the CBI and we hope others involved in the crime will also be arrested soon. —Deepinder Kaur, Victim’s Mother

Investigations had also revealed that Sippy had received a few calls from an unknown number two days before he was shot dead. The calls were made from Harishankar Gupta’s phone, a mehndi applier at Sector 19, Chandigarh. Three calls, which were of a duration of seven seconds, four seconds and 41 seconds, were made at 8:11:26 pm, 8:11:52 pm and 8:12:26 pm, respectively.

Gupta, in his statement, had stated that a woman, aged around 25-26, had come to him and told him that she had left her phone at home. She borrowed his phone to make a call. “Mera phone ghar chhut gaya kai, muje phone karwa do,” the girl had told Gupta.

Sippy had also received another call at 8:55 pm from the phone of Balinder Kumar, who had come to Sector 19, Chandigarh, to purchase clothes. Here too, a young woman borrowed the phone to make the call.

Sippy was shot dead with a .12 bore gun and four bullets were fired from it. The UT police had registered a case of murder at the Sector 26 police station.

In January 2016, the case was transferred to the CBI, after which the investigating agency registered a murder case and began a probe.

Timeline

Sept 20, 2015: Sukhmanpreet Singh Sidhu, alias Sippy, shot dead at a park in Sector 27, Chandigarh

Oct 10: Police question a Judge’s daughter to probe her alleged involvement in the case

Oct 14: Victim’s kin submit a representation to the Chief Justice of the High Court

Oct 17: Judge’s daughter questioned again

Nov 29: Family holds a candlelight demonstration outside the IGP’s residence

Nov 30: Kin give a representation to the UT Adviser

Dec 13: Sippy’s kin gather at Matka Chowk, hold candlelight march towards Sector 17

Dec 18: Kin hold a candlelight demonstration on Sippy’s 35th birth anniversary

Dec 24: Kin stage a silent protest near the PM’s residence in New Delhi

January 2016: Investigation transferred to the CBI

September: CBI announces Rs 5-lakh reward for info in case

December 2020: CBI files “untraced report” in the court. However, at the same time, the CBI requests the court to allow it to continue the investigation as it had strong suspicion about the role of a woman to eliminate Sippu Sidhu

December 2021: CBI raises the reward to Rs 10 lakh

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