Punjab govt begins to table commission report in assembly. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)
With Punjab government getting ready to table the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report in the Assembly session that begins on August 24, the panel that probed Bargari desecration and Behbal Kalan police firing case suffered a major embarrassment as a key witness retracted from his statement Monday. Himmat Singh, who had linked the desecration incidents with pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda chief, appeared before a select group of mediapersons, including The Indian Express, Monday, and said he was “coerced” by minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa to sign a statement before Justice Ranjit Singh.
Both Randhawa and Justice Ranjit Singh rubbished the claims made by Himmat Singh, who was earlier an Akal Takht Granthi and quit on October 2 last year. Himmat Singh is also the younger brother of Giani Gurmukh Singh, former acting Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, and head Granthi of Akal Takht, removed from both the posts by SGPC in April, 2017. Giani Gurmukh Singh had gone public saying he was forced to pardon Dera chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh by former CM Parkash Singh Badal at the latter’s residence in Chandigarh. Interestingly, Himmat Singh’s retraction comes a fortnight after his brother was reappointed as Head Granthi of Akal Takht in Amritsar by SGPC, on August 4. The retraction is important as Himmat Singh was the only witness who told the Commission that pardon to the Dera head was done at the behest of Badals. The Commission in its report records: “Witness number 245 (Himmat Singh) has stated the manner in which CM Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal had organised the grant of pardon to the head of Dera Sacha Sauda which as per him had led to initiation of incident of sacrilege of the religious granths in the state.”
Interestingly, while Himmat Singh appeared before the Commission that records his appearance as “sudden”, Giani Gurmukh Singh had not given any statement to the Commission. On Monday, Himmat Singh said, “I am not aware how pardon was granted to the Dera chief. I have never visited Chandigarh with my brother. I was under pressure to sign this statement in front of the Commission. They had the statement typed in Punjabi and English when I was taken to the Commission by Randhawa’s aides in their car on December 11. At the office of the Commission, I was asked to sign the document, which I did. Then, I was taken to Randhawa’s house.”
He also alleged that Justice Ranjit Singh asked him not to tell anyone that he had signed an already prepared statement. “He told me he wanted to finish Akali Dal,” Himmat Singh said.
“I got hundreds of WhatsApp messages and telephone calls from Randhawa and his aides… This fact can be verified from telecom service providers. Finally, they forced me to sign the statement. But ever since the report has been submitted, I have been underground,” he said.
Randhawa, reacting to the charges, said, “He has met me. I know this chap. But he is lying about everything else. He came to me through another Congress leader who brought him stating he was an emotional Sikh, who had resigned from Akal Takht. He requested me for a job. That time I was not even a minister.”
Justice Ranjit Singh said, “I did not even summon him. He came on his own and brought a typed statement along. He wanted me to record that narco test should conducted on Sukhbir Badal and Akal Takht Jathedar. Later, outside my office he gave statements to the media saying the same thing.” About the statement being attributed to him by Himmat Singh about wanting to “finish” the Akali Dal, he said: “How can I make a statement like that?”