Faridkot A special investigation team (SIT) probing the 2015 police firing on a group of people protesting incidents of sacrilege in Punjab filed a charge sheet in court on Friday and named then Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his deputy and son Sukhbir Badal, and then state police chief Sumedh Singh Saini as key accused in the sensational case, officials aware of developments said on Friday.
The SIT, set up by Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in May 2021, filed a 7,000-page charge sheet in a local court in Faridkot on Friday.
The charge sheet named eight people as accused — Parkash abd Sukhbir Badal, Saini, suspended inspector general of police (IGP) Paramraj Singh Umranangal, then director general of police (DGP) Amar Singh Chahal, then Faridkot senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sukhmander Singh Mann, former SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma, and then Kotkapura station house officer Gurdeep Singh Pandher.
HT tried to reach out to Saini for a response but didn’t get it immediately.
The development marks a key twist in the high-profile case that stoked tensions across the northern state eight years ago and was considered a key reason for the defeat of the Akali Dal in the 2017 assembly elections. On October 14, 2015, police opened fire in two places at people protesting against the sacrilege of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, two days before. At Behbal Kalan, two people died and in Kotkapura, more than 40 persons were injured.
The deaths sparked a public outcry, especially because the government was seen as unable to curb incidents of desecration. In the days preceding the police firing, at least three incidents of sacrilege and theft of the holy book had been reported from across the state.
“Saini and Sukhbir Badal both were named as masterminds of conspiracy for illegal and excess use of force to conceal the inaction of the state government on a series of three sacrilege incidents including theft of Guru Granth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and sacrilege of the Sikh holy book at Bargari,” said one of the officials cited above, requesting anonymity.
“Parkash Singh Badal also facilitated in the execution of the conspiracy. Umranangal, Chahal and Charanjit Sharma executed the conspiracy. While apart from helping in execution of the conspiracy, Sukhmander Mann was also found guilty of distortion and concealment of facts. Gurdeep Pandher is named for distortion and concealment of facts,” the official added.
The SIT charged the eight accused under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 ( voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (causing hurt by dangerous weapon), 153 ( disturbing religious harmony),119(Public servant concealing design to commit offence which it is his duty to prevent), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), 109(abetment), 34 (common intention),201(causing disappearance of evidence) , 217(public servant disobeying directions of law),218(public servant framing incorrect record)167(public servant framing incorrect document), 193(intentionally giving false evidence in any stage of a judicial proceeding), 465 (forgery) ,466 (forgery of record of court) ,471(using as genuine a forged document) ,427( mischief causing damage) 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace)and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, along with sections of the Arms Act.
The charge sheet included 1,400 pages describing the culpability of the accused, and pages on supportive documents and electronic evidence. The court of the Faridkot judicial magistrate scheduled the next hearing on March 6.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said naming him and five times CM Parkash Singh Badal who is chief patron of the party is part of political vendetta against the Badal family by Aam Aadmi Party government. “Anyway, this false and fabricated case will meet the same fate as Kunwar Vijay Partap’s report did earlier. We have full faith in the judiciary,” he added.
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann said that the faces of the conspirators of Kotkapura firing incident have been unmasked. “The sentiments of crores of people will be soothed. We stand by the promise of delivering justice. Minister or a common person, law is one for all. The truth will never remain hidden,” he added.
Two years after the firing, the government changed hands in the state and the Congress came to power. One of its key poll promises was to give justice to the families of the victims.
In August 2018, accepting a recommendation of the justice Ranjit Singh (retired) commission, police registered a first information report (FIR) against Unidentified COPS in connection with the firing cases. IN September 2018, a five-member SIT led by then ADGP (now special DGP) Prabodh Kumar was formed by the Amarinder Singh government.
In April 2021, the Punjab and Haryana high court quashed all the reports related to the Kotkapura firing filed.
