Kotkapura firing: SIT summons ex-CM Badal’s principal secy, 2 former IPS officers
A week after submitting a chargesheet in Faridkot court, the Punjab Police special investigation team probing the post-sacrilege police firing incident at Kotkapura in 2015 has summoned two former IPS officers and then principal secretary to the chief minister on Monday for questioning.
A week after submitting a chargesheet in Faridkot court, the Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT) probing the post-sacrilege police firing incident at Kotkapura in 2015 has summoned two former IPS officers and then principal secretary to the chief minister on Monday for questioning.
The SIT led by ADGP LK Yadav has asked the retired director general of police (DGP) Rohit Chaudhary (then ADGP, who was overseeing the operations at Kotkapura), retired inspector general of police (IGP) Ranbir Singh Khatra (then DIG-Jalandhar range, who was present at the spot along with other police officials) and an IAS officer Gagandeep Singh Brar, who was then principal secretary to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to appear at Punjab Police Officers’ Institute in Sector 32, Chandigarh, on Monday.
They have been asked to appear before SIT in connection with two first information reports (FIRs) registered at the Kotkapura city police station on October 14, 2015, and August 7, 2018.
On February 24, SIT filed a chargesheet naming then Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his deputy and son Sukhbir Badal, and then state police chief Sumedh Singh Saini among seven as key accused in the case.
Interestingly, Brar has been summoned for the first time while Chaudhary and Khatra have been already been questioned multiple times by the SIT.
Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh Commission, which probed the incidents of sacrilege and subsequent police firing in 2015, in its report noted, “There is sufficient material available on record in the form of telephone calls between the deputy commissioner, Mantar Singh Brar, MLA, Gagandeep Brar (the then principal secretary to CM)...The chain is thus complete and clear that the CM Parkash Singh Badal was not only in touch with district administration but was in touch with DGP as well and was quite aware of the situation developing in Kotkapura and also about proposed action by police.”
“Then Kotkapura MLA Mantar Singh Brar spoke to Gagandeep Brar. Thereafter, he also got in touch with CM through Gagandeep Brar’s phone. Brar also told CM that the situation in Kotkapura was alarming and if the protesters were not dispersed, the number could swell into thousands,” the Ranjit panel report added.
An official privy with the development said, “It was the first chargesheet in this case, while investigation in Kotkapura firing case is still ongoing and more chargesheets will be filed with additional evidence.”
