A police personnel, who was injured in the subsequent clashes during the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident, submitted an application in the court accusing six leaders of protesters for instigating the gathering.
Head constable Rashpal Singh has moved an application in the court of Judicial Magistrate Ist Class (JMIC) on Wednesday, urging the court to summon 14 protesters, including six leaders, who had ‘caused injuries’ to police officials and ‘destroyed public property’.
Rashpal was one of the police officials deputed at the police post at the traffic light chowk in Kotkapura on October 14, 2015, and had suffered head injuries in the incident.
On October 14, 2015, Punjab Police opened fire on protesters, when they were protesting against a series of sacrilege incidents in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala.
Several protesters and police personnel were injured in the incident, while a protestor, Ajit Singh, received a gunshot injury on his thigh. After the firing incident, on the same day, the police registered the first information report (FIR-192) against 15 Sikh preachers and unidentified people at Kotkapura city police station for allegedly instigating the protesters to attack the police with sharp-edged weapons and opening fire.
However, the special investigation team (SIT) led by retired IGP Kunwar Vijay Pratap, now an AAP MLA from Amritsar (North), probing the Kotkapura firing case had given a clean chit to preachers and instead named cops as accused in the case. On Ajit Singh’s complaint, SIT had registered the FIR-129 in 2018 at the Kotkapura city police station.
{{/usCountry}}However, the special investigation team (SIT) led by retired IGP Kunwar Vijay Pratap, now an AAP MLA from Amritsar (North), probing the Kotkapura firing case had given a clean chit to preachers and instead named cops as accused in the case. On Ajit Singh’s complaint, SIT had registered the FIR-129 in 2018 at the Kotkapura city police station.
{{/usCountry}}In April 2021, giving its decision on writ petitions filed by Rashpal Singh and inspector Gurdeep Pandher, the Punjab and Haryana high court had quashed SIT chargesheets. Acting on the HC orders, on May 7, 2021, the state government constituted a new three-member SIT headed by ADGP LK Yadav.
Rashpal said that the SIT-led by ADGP LK Yadav has termed the protesters, who attacked cops and damaged public property as a “mob”.
In his plea, Rashpal claimed that footage of a CCTV camera installed near the spot, which was in possession of the SIT, verified the involvement of the protesters in the crime.
He further said the protesters can be seen attacking him in a 13-minute video of the spot submitted by the SIT as evidence along with the chargesheet. “They were identified as Ajit Singh and Rupinder Singh by me and then station house officer Gurdeep Singh Pandher. But SIT-led by IGP (now retd) Kunwar Vijay Pratap did nothing about it, and nor has the newly constituted SIT has acted on it,” he said.
“The evidence on record proves that Sikh preachers, who were leading the protest — Panthpreet Singh, Amrik Singh Ajnala, Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwala, Sarabjit Singh Dhunda, former jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Kewal Singh and Sukhjit Singh Khosa had instigated protesters. Following this, Ajit Singh, Rupinder Singh, Makhan Singh and others,under a pre-planned conspiracy, had formed an unlawful assembly in violation of the district magistrate’s order, which deterred the public servants from discharging their duties. They caused injuries on my head and also attacked civilians and on-duty police officials, who were deputed on the spot to maintain law and order,” he said.
He also accused Sikh preachers Harjinder Singh Manjhi, Satnam Singh and Baba Avtar Singh of allegedly being involved in the incident.
“So, I request the court, after studying the evidence and facts, take cognizance of the above crimes. Summon the accused and commit the case to the court of district and sessions judge under the relevant section of IPC for trial against them,” he added in his plea.