Asserting that the Akali veteran had ruined Punjab, and holding him squarely responsible for the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing incidents, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday vowed to go hammer and tongs after Parkash Singh Badal and fix him.
Reiterating that there was no question of going soft on the former Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh said that it was not possible that Badal was not aware of the police firing.
The SIT probe report into the incident would go to the courts and the truth would come out, said the Chief Minister, adding that the decision to withdraw the investigation from CBI and hand it over to a Punjab Police SIT was taken by the state assembly, which felt the BJP-led government at the Centre could influence the central agency as the BJP was an ally of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
“Justice Ranjit Singh Commission, set up to probe the sacrilege cases and the firing incidents at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura, had suggested further investigation, which was why the SIT is being set up,” said Capt Amarinder, adding that the Commission was a fact-finding panel which did a thorough job to get to the bottom of the events that led to the senseless and deliberate firing on innocent people.
Reacting to Badal’s assertion that he was ready to swear that he did not know about the firing, Capt Amarinder dismissed it as a gimmick to divert public attention from his role in the incident. How many times has he falsely sworn at the Akal Takht, asked Capt Amarinder.
“How is it possible that the Chief Minister did not know about the firing, the Chief Minister asked, pointing out that former DGP Sumedh Saini had clearly stated before the Ranjit Singh Commission that Badal had asked him to disperse the crowd forcibly. If something happens in my state, then as CM, I cannot take refuge in such lies and should be thrown out if I am not aware of what is happening right under my nose,” he asserted, adding that as per the Commission’s findings, as many as 22 calls were made to Badal before the firing took place.
He said that Badal was an expert liar who would manufacture lies every time to become Chief Minister, and “I knew the Akali leader personally and closely”.
The Chief Minister pointed out that Badal did not even take action on the findings of Zora Commission, which was set up by his own government to investigate the Bargari sacrilege and the subsequent firing incidents.
A certain legal procedure needs to be followed if the police needs to open fire to control a crowd, which was clearly not done in Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura, he said, adding that the firing in these cases was clearly aimed at killing the peaceful protestors to create strife and tension in the state. The way the people were fired at was horrific, said Capt Amarinder.
He also dubbed Badal as an “outright coward” who was used to running away whenever he has to face the people.