A day after Punjab Vidhan Sabha resolved to take back all sacrilege cases from the CBI and get it probed through Punjab Police’s special investigation team (SIT), the state Congress on Wednesday sought a thorough probe into the “dubious role” of SAD president Sukhbir Badal in the sacrilege incidents of Guru Granth Sahib, that rocked the state in 2015.
Dubbing Sukhbir as the ‘General Dyer of Behbal Kalan’, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Sunil Jakhar
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Sunil Jakhar, accompanied by Cabinet Ministers—Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Sukhjinder Randhawa—besides party MlAs, demanded thorough investigation into the charges of “dereliction of duty” by Sukhbir, who was then the state Home Minister, as proved by the Justice (retired) Ranjit Singh Commission report.
The demand came a day after the House debated on the findings and recommendations of the report on sacrilege cases, with the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators demanding registration of cases against the Badals — both the former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir — “for their involvement” in sacrilege cases.
The House, sans SAD-BJP members, also demanded action against the cops and officials, including the former Director General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini, Principal Secretary to the former Chief Minister Gagandeep Singh Brar, instead of just putting them on notice.
“Sukhbir was evidently the evil behind the sacrilege case as he had clearly colluded with Sirsa Dera to foment communal strife in the state by stage-managing the tragic incident, grievously hurting the religious sentiments of Punjabis,” he said while listing various charges for Sukhbir to answer in the people’s court.
Sukhbir deserved the “harshest punishment” for his tardy handling of the Behbal Kalan case which resulted in the killing of innocent persons, said Jakhar, adding that the people of Punjab would never forgive SAD for violation of their faith.
“Sukhbir was scared of visiting the victim families, and till date, had not shared the grief of those Sikhs who were first tortured by the police and then let off saying that there was nothing against them,” Jakhar said, referring to the plight of two Sikhs who were paraded before the media by Sukhbir claiming that the sacrilege conspirators had been caught.
One of them cannot walk properly even today, Jakhar said, asking Sukhbir to go and apologise to the victim families.
Even the Zora Singh Commission, which was constituted by the SAD government, had established that the people had been fired upon from a very close range and the intention was to kill and not threaten the protestors, he added.
Jakhar demanded that Sukhbir should come out in open about the facts leading to the eventual unfortunate incident of firing at the unarmed people and subsequent killing of those protesting peacefully after the sacrilege incident at Bargari.
“Sukhbir should come forward to explain whether, as the Home Minister, he ordered the DGP to fire at the peaceful protestors and if not, then how did the then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini dare to defy his orders,” said Jakhar.
He said that it was Sukhbir who had then appealed to the protestors to perform ‘paths’ at the site of sacrilege, then how he could order firing on the same people at Kotkapura and Behbal Kallan.
People of Punjab need these answers from Sukhbir Badal, who had not only failed the state as Home Minister but also as the head of a panthic party which had, for many years, been manipulating the religious feelings of Punjabis, said Jakhar.
lashing out at senior Badal for saving his son in the entire episode, Jakhar stressed that Sukhbir was being shielded by the former Chief Minister because he know that both he and his son were directly involved in this atrocious and unpardonable act.
Castigating the Akali leadership for making a mockery of this sensitive issue by tearing the copies of the Commission’s report and selling it outside the Assembly, Jakhar underscored that this crass behaviour of Sukhbir showed his party’s mentality. “Instead of holding a so-called parallel session outside the House, Badals should have faced the people and their questions inside the Vidhan Sabha,” he added.
The deal struck by Badals with the Dera Sirsa in Mumbai for release of a movie could be a business deal, Jakhar observed, adding that the question was - “did it lead to the deliberate vitiation of hard earned peace in Punjab.”
Responding to a media query, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa said that meeting Sikh preacher Daduwal was no offence and in no way could absolve Badals of their misdeeds. If somebody comes to meet me at my home, would I not meet himij the Minister added.