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Behbal Kalan firing: Kin of victims decline Punjab Speaker’s request for more time to complete probe
Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan reached the protest site and requested kin of the victims of the Behbal Kalan firing the protesters to give more time to the government to complete the probe
The families of the victims of the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing and Sikh protesters on Sunday declined Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan’s request to give more time to complete the probe into the incident and further announced to hold another gathering on August 16.
The victims’ families and Sikh organisations gathered at Behbal Kalan to decide further action plan of the protest. Sandhwan reached the protest site and requested the protesters to give more time to the government to complete the probe. He said that the state government is working on it and probe in police firing cases will be completed as soon as possible.
In April, the state government had sought three-month time to bring the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing case to a logical conclusion, which was accepted by the victim’s kin and protesters. But on July 10, when the three-month deadline lapsed, a team of lawyers on behalf of the state government sought more time to get a clarification on an order passed by the Punjab and Haryana high court in the matter.
Following this, the protesters agreed to give two weeks more time. A couple of weeks earlier, a state government delegation led by cabinet minister Harjot Bains had sought six months more time to complete the probe in Behbal Kalan firing case but the protesters refused.
“This government has failed to fulfil their promise and even after setting a deadline they have failed. Sandhwan had requested to give more time to the government but we have refused to give any further time to them. We have given a call to gather at the Behbal Kalan on August 16. We also oppose the appointment of new advocate general as a person who defended dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim should not be the head of the legal team of Punjab,” Sukhraj, whose sit-in entered the 220th day on Sunday, said.
Two Sikh protesters — Gurjeet Singh of Sarawan village and Krishan Bhagwan Singh of Niamiwala village in Faridkot district — were killed on October 14, 2015, when they were protesting against a sacrilege incident. ENDS
