Denouncing the Congress-led Punjab Government for indulging in a “politically-motivated” and “vendetta-driven” SIT inquiry into the police action in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday maintained the “hatchet job” had been exposed with the filing of an “illegal” chargesheet in a Faridkot court.

Coming together in the defence of the Badals, SAD’s senior leadership claimed that the chargesheet had been signed by IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh on May 23, even though the model code of conduct of election was withdrawn on May 26 and he was reappointed as a member of the SIT team on May 27.

“Before that, the IG had been removed from SIT for issuing politically-motivated statements by the Election Commission,” said the SAD leaders Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Daljit Singh Cheema, addressing a press conference.

They alleged that it was a “clear case of fabrication of documents with malafide intention” proving that the IG continued to work as a SIT member even when removed from his post by the Election Commission and submitted the chargesheet under his signatures to the Faridkot court when he was not holding the charge of SIT member.

“This is a clear case of flouting of directions of the Election Commission and also a criminal act in itself,” they said.

SAD leaders including Sikander Singh Maluka, Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Darbara Singh Guru also questioned the very “findings” of the “Congress’ SIT”.

They said that a separate SIT was investigating cases of sacrilege under the leadership of senior police officer Ranbir Singh Khattra which has already submitted its chargesheet and there is not even an oblique reference to any Akali leader in its report.

“Now, the SIT in which IG Kunwar Partap is a member and which is investigating police actions in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, has come out with wild and unsubstantiated allegations which are imaginary in nature,” they said pointing that this only proved SAD’s contention that the SIT is being used by the Congress party to initiate a witch-hunt against Akali leaders to implicate them in false cases.

“This is a biased and pre-determined investigation in which the IG is acting as a stooge of the Congress party and has even filed a tailor-made report as per the dictate of his political bosses,” said SAD leaders.

Akali leaders said that the police actions in Kotkapura and Behbalkalan had been politicized by taking the inquiry back from the CBI and handing it over to a “handpicked” SIT.

Stating that the SAD would not take this lying down, Cheema said that the party would challenge this “malafide” act and ensure action against the IG for resorting to forgery and fabrication of documents.

He said that the SAD was committed to a speedy impartial probe into the unfortunate incidents and demanded the entire investigation be handed over to an independent agency headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court.

SUKHBIR MUST RESIGN FROM PARLIAMENT, SAD PRESIDENTSHIP: RANDHAWA

Reacting to the SIT probing the sacrilege cases naming the then Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal in its chargesheet filed, the senior Congress leader and Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Thursday said that the panthic mask is off the faces of Badals’ faces and now the family must renounce politics and sit at home.

Randhawa said that Sukhbir should resign from both the Parliament as well as the SAD presidentship as he was directly responsible for the sacrilege as is proved by the SIT chargesheet. “No true Sikh would like to be associated with the Badals after startling disclosures by the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report and SIT because the Badal family used Sikh sangat and religion for their narrow political ends,” he said.

“The Badals have stabbed the Sikh Qaum and Panth in the back being hand in glove with the Dera Sirsa and the Sikh Qaum would never forgive Badal family for this dastardly act. The Badals’ have now lost the moral right to continue in the public life,” said Randhawa.

AAP SEEKS IMMEDIATE ARREST OF SUKHBIR, SUMEDH SAINI

With the SIT, probing the October 2015 incident of desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, filling ‘challan’ against the then Home Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, and Dera Sacha Sirsa chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab unit chief Bhagwant Mann on Thursday demanded immediate arrest of both Sukhbir and Saini.

Mann said that after the filling of ‘challan’ against them by the SIT, it was not fair to allow the high-profile accused, Sukhbir and Saini, to roam free in the public as they might resort to influencing investigations.

Expressing his satisfaction over the ongoing SIT probe, Mann pointed finger at the inordinate delay in the submission of the ‘challan’. He accused Capt Amarinder of acting as a personal and political watchdog for the Badal family, saying that had he been a bit serious on the issue, Sukhbir Badal, Sumedh Singh Saini and others would have been behind the bars after assuming power in 2017.

Mann also blamed the Captain govt in the State and Modi Government at the Center for protecting the Badal family by putting the investigation on the backburner during 2019 Lok Sabha elections, alleging that the challan could have been filed earlier as that might have upset the Badal couple’s applecart.

“It is a well-planned ploy of the government to help them — Sukhbir Badal and Harsimrat Kaur Badal — win from their respective constituencies,” he said. He further added that the transfer of SIT member Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh ahead of the Lok Sabha polls was a well-thought step on the part of the government to derail the SIT probe thus delaying the process of filling of the ‘challan’.

Mann urged the court not to spare those behind the sacrilegious acts howsoever high and mighty they be to check the recurrence of such incidents in the near future.