Jalandhar, July 11 -- Despite clear directives from the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), successive Punjab governments since 1996 have failed to strip two controversial former police officials indicted in abduction, torture, and murder of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra of their President's Police Medal for Gallantry. The issue has roared back into public debate following the recent controversy surrounding 'Satluj', a film chronicling Khalra's life. It was taken down from the OTT platform Zee5 on June 5, two days after its release, evoking a strong reaction from political outfits in Punjab who are pressing for its re-release. Former Tarn Taran senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ajit Singh Sandhu and ex-deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Jaspal Singh were conferred with the police honour in 1995. The medals recognised their "conspicuous gallantry" during the counter-insurgency operations in Punjab. However, later in the same year, both officers were named by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as prime accused in the abduction, torture, and murder of Khalra. On November, 18, 2005, ex-DSP Jaspal Singh was sentenced to life imprisonment by a CBI court in Patiala, a verdict upheld by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2007 and Supreme Court in 2011. SSP Sandhu died by suicide in 1997 while the CBI investigation was still ongoing. Khalra was allegedly targeted after "exposing the illegal mass cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies by security forces." Despite their alleged involvement in one of Punjab's most notorious human rights violations, a check by HT revealed that the officers' names are displayed on the Punjab Police website's official list of gallantry awardees. The MHA has repeatedly issued guidelines over the years instructing state governments to recommend the forfeiture, withdrawal, or annulment of medals from officers whose conduct brings disrepute to the force. According to an MHA letter dated May 29, 2017, addressed to chief secretaries, home secretaries, DGPs, Intelligence Bureau and CBI directors, Rule 6 of the President's Police Medal Rules allows for immediate forfeiture under three specific conditions: If an awardee is convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude; if an officer is dismissed for misconduct; or if the President deems the awardee's conduct disloyal or disgraceful. "It has been observed that the state governments/organisations are not strictly adhering to the guidelines related to withdrawal of medals," the letter stated. Chief secretary KAP Sinha and IG (headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill could not be contacted despite repeated attempts....