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SIT probes into Behbal Kalan, Kotkapura firing cases complete, says Punjab minister Harjot Bains
Sukhraj Singh, son of Krishan Bhagwan Singh who was killed in police firing at Behbal Kalan on October 14, 2015, on Saturday lifted his indefinite dharna at the incident site by vacating the bus stop on the Bathinda-Amritsar national highway near Behbal Kalan village after two years
Punjab cabinet minister Harjot Singh Bains on Saturday announced that the investigations of the special investigation teams (SITs) into the 2015 Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing cases have been completed. He further said that now the trials will start in the court in the firing cases and hopefully culprits will be punished soon.
Sukhraj Singh, son of Krishan Bhagwan Singh who was killed in police firing at Behbal Kalan on October 14, 2015, on Saturday lifted his indefinite dharna at the incident site by vacating the bus stop on the Bathinda-Amritsar national highway near Behbal Kalan village after two years. He had started the “Behbal Insaaf Morcha” on December 16, 2021. A “Dhanwaad Samagam” was organised at the protest site by Sukhraj to lift morcha.
Two Sikh protesters — Gurjeet Singh of Sarawan village and Krishan Bhagwan Singh of Niamiwala village in Faridkot district — were killed on October 14, 2015, when they were protesting against the sacrilege incident.
Bains along with former cabinet minister Inderbir Singh Nijjer and local MLA attended the event organised by Sukhraj.
“I want to reveal the facts. Before April 2022 number of SITs were formed and there were talks about chargesheet, but in reality, there was nothing done on the ground. In February this year, the first chargesheet was submitted in the court, which was followed by three more supplementary chargesheets.
Now, the cases are in court and we know who the culprits are. We have unmasked all the culprits. I have full faith in the judicial system that culprits will get punished,” Bains said.
He further said that as per the demand of this morcha, the state government will engage the best lawyers to fight this case. “I want to tell everyone that all the investigation processes in both the firing cases have been completed. I will not take the names of all the accused as they may use it in their defence in the court in the future, but I assure you that all the known culprits have been named as accused in these cases. Now, the court will decide as per the due course of law,” he added.
Bains’ claims came a day after SIT led by ADGP Naunihal Singh filed a fresh status report in the Behbal Kalan firing case in the Faridkot court. However, since its formation in May 2021, SIT led by Naunihal has not filed even a single chargesheet in the case.
The first chargesheet was filed against former Moga SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma in April 2019 by the previous SIT led by then ADGP (now special DGP) Parbodh Kumar. Later, SIT filed a chargesheet against four accused including SP Bikramjit Singh in October 2020. While chargesheet against Umranangal and former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini were filed in January 2021. Since then, the final chargesheet is pending. The filing of the chargesheet in the Kotkapura firing case earlier this year had cleared roadblocks for the trial and framing of charges. The trial in the case has been stuck due to legal hurdles for more than two years now in a Faridkot court.
On February 24, the SIT led by LK Yadav probing the Kotkapura incident had filed the first chargesheet in the case. The chargesheet named seven people, including then Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his deputy and son Sukhbir Badal, then DGP Saini, suspended IGP Paramraj Singh Umranangal, then DIG Amar Singh Chahal, then Faridkot SSP Sukhmander Singh Mann and former SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma, as accused in the 2018 FIR registered in connection with the 2015 Kotkapura firing.
