Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday appeared before the Punjab Police’s Special Investigation Team, probing the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing case in which two persons had died.
Sukhbir, who was then the Deputy Chief Minister and also held the Home Affairs portfolio, reached the Punjab Police Officers’ Institute in Chandigarh’s Sector 32 at around 11 am. As per sources, his questioning started at around 11.15 am, which continued for nearly three hours.
According to the sources, Sukhbir was questioned on whether he or the then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had, in October 2016, gave their approval to the police to use force against the mob that was protesting against the series of sacrilege incidents in the State.
After the questioning, SAD president Sukhbir Badal said that he had informed the SIT that in the past seven years, no effort was being made to nab the real culprits. “Only we are being targeted. I told the SIT that I am ready to provide whatever information is required,” said Sukhbir while adding that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) did nothing in these five months, and now I have been summoned just to divert the people’s attention.
He said that AAP Government was only playing politics vis-Ã -vis sensitive cases of police firing at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura and did not seem interested in nabbing and punishing the culprits.
Asserting that SAD and its leaders were always ready to cooperate with the SITs probing the firing cases, Sukhbir said that it was unfortunate that the AAP Government was only playing politics on these issues for petty political gains.
“Punjabis wanted all culprits in these cases to be caught and punished but the AAP Government is following in the footsteps of the previous Congress Government and politicizing investigation into the cases. This is extremely unfortunate, especially after the High Court has already rapped former IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap for misusing his official position to further his post-retirement political ambitions,” he said.
Sukhbir said that it was unfortunate that the AAP Government had not taken any action in the cases and had now started indulging in political vendetta to divert attention from its failures.
Answering media queries, Sukhbir said: “The Government already knows the answers to the queries SIT has asked me. The answers are with them. Despite this, they are indulging in this exercise to defame the SAD and its leaders.”
Going into background of the matter, Sikhs’ holy book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, was stolen on June 1, 2015, from Gurdwara Sahib in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village, about five kms from Bargari, and torn pages of the holy book were also found scattered. As the incident of sacrilege triggered protest across the state, separate groups of Sikhs were demonstrating in Behbal Kalan village at Kotkapura Chowk and Kotkapura-Bathinda road.
On October 14, 2015, the Punjab Police opened fire on a crowd of protesters in Behbal Kalan, in which two persons had died — Gurjit Singh, a resident of village Saranwa; and Krishna Bhagwan Singh, a resident of Behbal Khurd; while a few were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot in similar police firing.
Bargari Insaaf Morcha has been conducting a continuous sit-in in Behbal Kalan seeking justice in the case.
Notably, Sukhbir has also been summoned in the Kotkapura firing case. He is expected to appear before the SIT, headed by ADGP LK Yadav, on September 14. Earlier, Sukhbir was called by the SIT on August 30. However, he claimed that he had not received any summons, and appeared before the Zira court in the case of blocking the highway.
At the time of Sukhbir’s questioning, senior Akali leaders Daljit Singh Cheema and MLA Sukhwinder Sukhi and a large number of workers were present outside the Institute. Police had also put up barricades outside the venue.
SAD leaders accused the AAPled Punjab Government of doing politics over the issue in order to divert people’s attention from its “failures”.
“Earlier, the Congress government played politics and now the AAP government is doing the same,” senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia said.