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Kotkapura firing: SIT questions Sikh preacher Panthpreet, police officials
Thirteen persons, including a Sikh preacher and police officials, who were present on the spot during the firing incident at Kotkapura on October 14, 2015, appeared before the special investigation team (SIT) at Faridkot on Friday
Thirteen persons, including a Sikh preacher and police officials, who were present on the spot during the firing incident at Kotkapura on October 14, 2015, appeared before the special investigation team (SIT) at Faridkot on Friday.
The SIT head, additional director general of police (vigilance bureau) LK Yadav, along with other two members, Ludhiana police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal and Faridkot range DIG Surjit Singh, questioned Sikh preacher Panthpreet Singh, a key witness in the case, at the Faridkot camp office and recorded his statement.
The SIT also questioned four cops, including then Bajakhana SHO Amarjit Singh Kular, who is an accused in the Behbal Kalan firing case, besides Ajit Singh, on whose complaint an FIR was registered in 2018 in connection with the Kotkapura firing incident. Others include Baba Balkar Singh, Inderjit Singh Sukhanwala, Harjinder Singh Sukhanwala, Pooran Singh Daggo Romana, Kala Singh, Amarjit Singh and Himmat Singh.
Head constable (retd) Rashpal Singh, on whose complaint another FIR was registered against protestors on October 14, 2015, after the firing incident and two other cops didn’t appear before the SIT.
Panthpreet along with the other preachers, including Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale, was leading the protest against the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari, when the agitators were cane-charged and gunshots were fired by the police at the Kotkapura chowk, leading to injuries to a number of persons.
“I have requested the SIT members to investigate the matter fairly and provide justice to Sikhs. There should be no other SIT. I don’t know why they are also investigating the FIR, which was registered against the protestors. Even the cops had admitted in the court that the then SAD-BJP government had ordered to quash it, but the case has not been cancelled,” Panthpreet said after coming out of the SIT’s Faridkot camp office.
The SIT will question Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale at his dera in Patiala on Monday. Officials privy to the development said the decision has been taken due to security reasons.
