Two months after the Punjab government formed the Justice Zora Singh (retd) commission to conduct an inquiry into the sacrilege incidents and their aftermath in Faridkot villages, which led to violent protests in which two men were killed in police firing, Justice Zora Singh on Friday reached Faridkot to record people’s statements.
The long delay in holding the inquiry may lead to loss of some important information. Meanwhile, the government succeeded in pacifying protesters and the victims’ families. Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had visited the families after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s visit and offered government jobs to them.
Meanwhile, Sadhu Singh, father of Gurjeet Singh, 25, from Sarawan village, has left for Kenya where he worked. Beant Singh, a youth from Niamiwala village, who was injured in the incident, has been shifted to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.
Gurjeet’s mother said, “Justice Zora Singh wanted to meet those who were at the spot then, but they were not available. My husband has left for Kenya. We informed the commission about the incident and were asked to submit more information.”
Justice Zora Singh reached Faridkot on Thursday morning and left for Burj Jawahar Singh wala village, where the first incident of stealing of a bir of Guru Granth Sahib had taken place on June 1. He met the president and granthi of the local gurdwara besides others to know about the incident. Then he visited Bargari village, where the torn pages of Guru Granth Sahib were found scattered near the local gurdwara on October 12. He met the priest and manager of the gurdwara besides the village panchayat and others and sought people’s help.
{{/usCountry}}Justice Zora Singh reached Faridkot on Thursday morning and left for Burj Jawahar Singh wala village, where the first incident of stealing of a bir of Guru Granth Sahib had taken place on June 1. He met the president and granthi of the local gurdwara besides others to know about the incident. Then he visited Bargari village, where the torn pages of Guru Granth Sahib were found scattered near the local gurdwara on October 12. He met the priest and manager of the gurdwara besides the village panchayat and others and sought people’s help.
{{/usCountry}}At Behbal Kalan, where Krishan Bhagwan Singh, 45, of Niamiwala village and Gurjeet Singh, 25, of Sarawan village were killed in police firing, people came forward to provide information and also recorded their statements.
Justice Zora Singh asked people to reach his office at Circuit House in Faridkot on Saturday to submit any additional information; later, they could contact the commission in Chandigarh.
He reached the family of Gurjeet Singh at Sarawan and Beant’s family at Niamiwala. He is yet to meet the family of Krishan Bhagwan Singh at Niamiwala.
“We will provide more information to the commission in Faridkot on Friday as most people did not know about the visit,” said Gurpreet Singh of Behbal Kalan, whose brother Angrej Singh was injured in the firing.
Read: Behbal Kalan firing: 45 days on, judicial probe yet to start