Investigation into 2015 Behbal Kalan, Kotkapura firing cases complete: SIT
Says the final supplementary chargesheet in Behbal Kalan firing case to be filed in Faridkot court soon
More than five years after the 2015 police firing incidents, which plunged Punjab into turmoil, the Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT) on Monday claimed investigation in the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing incidents have been completed. The SIT also said the final supplementary chargesheet in the Behbal Kalan firing cases will be filed in the Faridkot court soon.
SIT member and inspector general of police Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said nine chargesheets have been submitted in the court in both the cases. One more chargesheet will be filed soon. “I have completed the responsibility which was given to me. I have submitted everything in the court and whatever is left will be filed soon as investigation has been completed,” he said.
On one of the chargesheets wherein it was mentioned that the role of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal were under investigation, the SIT member said: “I will not name anyone. I want to make it clear that in the chargesheets, we have identified the roles of all persons involved in these incidents. You can see their (Badals) roles are identified in the first chargesheet, which was filed on May 27, 2019. But one chargesheet is yet to be filed in the court,” he said.
“Genesis of police firing cases was sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari, so these cases are interlinked. Our team has worked so hard, there were attempts that this investigation should not conclude,” he added.
On former director general of police Sumedh Singh Saini, Kunwar Vijay said that SIT had interrogated him and he had been granted blanket bails by court. “He was summoned and interrogated in Chandigarh. We started the investigation on October 12, 2018, but he was granted blanket bail on October 11, 2018, before we started our investigation,” he said.
When asked about the victim families’ allegation that the government was not perusing the cases properly, he said: “I don’t want to make any comments on their blames, but I want to tell you that I am also not getting the required support.”
The Punjab Police teams had opened fire at the people protesting against the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura in Faridkot district on October 14, 2015. Gurjeet Singh of Sarawan village and Krishan Bhagwan Singh of Niamiwala village had died in police firing at Behbal Kalan. They had joined the villagers in holding a demonstration at the Behbal Kalan bus stand to protest against the sacrilege incident at Bargari on October 12.
The SIT had filed nine chargesheets in the 2015 police firing cases, including five in Behbal Kalan incident and four in Kotkapura episode. Seven persons, including six police officials and a former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Mantar Singh Brar, are accused in the Kotkapura case, while eight persons, including six cops, are named in Behbal Kalan case. Former DGP Saini, suspended inspector general of police Paramraj Singh Umranangal and former Moga senior superintendent of police Charanjit Singh Sharma are accused in both the cases.