Behbal Kalan firing accused’s wife appointed assistant AG in Punjab

The appointment order, accessed by HT, for the engagement of advocates as assistant advocate general in the office of Punjab AG, was issued by the department of home affairs and justice on February 10

The wife of an accused in 2015 Behbal Kalan firing has been appointed as assistant advocate general in the office of advocate general, Punjab, at Chandigarh.

Behbal Kalan firing accused’s wife appointed assistant AG in Punjab

The appointment order, accessed by HT, for the engagement of advocates as assistant advocate general in the office of Punjab AG, was issued by the department of home affairs and justice on February 10. A total of 76 advocates were appointed along with Rimjhim Mahajan, who is the wife of advocate Suhail Singh Brar, an accused in the post-sacrilege firing case.

The order issued by secretary home affairs Gurkirat Kirpal Singh appointing Mahajan, reads: “You are hereby engaged as assistant advocate general in the office of advocate general, Punjab at Chandigarh, with immediate effects, for defending the cases for and on behalf of the state of Punjab in the Punjab and Haryana high court, Chandigarh. The engagement would be contractual basis for a period of one year.”

Mahajan’s husband was named as an accused in the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing case for fabricating evidence. On October 9, 2020, the Punjab police’s special investigation team (SIT) had submitted a supplementary chargesheet against four accused, including Brar, in the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing case. As per the SIT chargesheet, Brar had helped accused police officers to conspire and cover up facts relating to the firing, in which two Sikh activists protesting over sacrilege incidents were killed at Behbal Kalan on October 14, 2015. The SIT chargesheet said that former Moga SSP’s escort gypsy was taken to the advocate Brar’s house in Faridkot. There SP Bikramjit Singh and a car dealer had fired on the gypsy from Brar’s gun to make fabricated bullet marks.

The SIT has named former director general of police Sumedh Singh Saini, inspector general of police Paramraj Singh Umaranagal, former Moga SSP Sharma, SP Bikramjit Singh, former Bajakhana SHO Amarjit Singh Kular, Faridkot-based lawyer Suhail Singh Brar and Moga-based car dealer Pankal Bansal as accused. One of the accused, inspector Pardeep Singh has turned approver in this case.

Punjab advocate general Gurminder Singh however, denied that anyone by the name of Rimjhim Mahajan has joined his team.

“I don’t know about the appointment but no one by this name has joined my office so far,” he said.

When contacted Brar refuted that his wife was not allowed to join as assistant AG. “My wife has no plan to join the post as she is taking care of our young child,” Brar said.