Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Kumar Sampla on Tuesday sought a fresh date to appear before the Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT), which is probing the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing incident, citing prior engagements.
The SIT had issued fresh summons to Sampla, asking him to appear on August 27 in Chandigarh. This is the fifth time that the BJP leader has been summoned for questioning in the sacrilege and firing cases.
Officials from Model Town police station, on Tuesday visited Sampla’s residence to serve the notice, which directs him to appear before the SIT to record his statement regarding the facts of the case. Sampla requested the investigating team to give him another date in September as he had to participate in pre-scheduled party meetings on August 27.
Sampla had appeared before the SIT in June and was questioned about a memorandum concerning the sacrilege and firing incidents, submitted jointly by the BJP and SAD to the then governor in November 2018.
Talking to the media, Sampla said he had been asking for the specific documents based on which he is being summoned, but had not received them to date. “I will extend all cooperation to the SIT. I have again asked for the documents on the basis of which I am being summoned time and again. Without examining those documents, I would not be able to file my reply,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Talking to the media, Sampla said he had been asking for the specific documents based on which he is being summoned, but had not received them to date. “I will extend all cooperation to the SIT. I have again asked for the documents on the basis of which I am being summoned time and again. Without examining those documents, I would not be able to file my reply,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}He alleged that the AAP government was acting out of political vendetta and said he had nothing to do with the sacrilege or firing incidents. He said that these incidents had occurred before he assumed the role of BJP state president.
The SIT summons come amid fresh momentum in the investigation of the case, which dates back to October 14, 2015, when police opened fire on unarmed protesters demonstrating against the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari, killing two people.
On June 11, the SIT recorded a statement from former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, who claimed Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had previously admitted to wrongdoings before the temporal seat. Sukhbir had appeared before the Akal Takht on December 2, 2024, and tendered an unconditional apology for “all mistakes committed by the party and SAD government”. The firing took place during the SAD-BJP government’s tenure, when Sukhbir was deputy chief minister and held the home portfolio. The incident caused a backlash for the alliance, and Sampla remains the first prominent BJP leader to be formally summoned in the investigation.
On July 3, the SIT visited Bargari and Behbal Kalan villages to recreate the crime scene before initiating further legal action.