The special investigation team (SIT) probing the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing cases has summoned the SIT, constituted by the then Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in 2015, to Chandigarh on Monday, it is learnt.

The previous SIT headed by additional director general of police (ADGP) IPS Sahota had the then deputy inspectors general (DIGs) of Ferozepur and Bathinda ranges Amar Singh Chahal and Ranbir Singh Khatra as its members.

A week after the incident that took place on October 14, 2015, the Sahota-led SIT had recommended to register a case of murder, attempt to murder besides adding sections of the Arms Act to it. The FIR (first information report) was registered against unidentified cops.

Its initial probe had revealed that two Sikh youths — Krishan Bhagwan Singh of Behbal Khurd and Gurjit Singh of Sarawan — were killed in police firing with the post-mortem report confirming bullet injuries as the cause of their death.

The new SIT’s probe has been focussing on alleged distortion of evidence in the Behbal Kalan case. It recently claimed a major breakthrough in its probe having come across fabrication of bullet marks on an escort gypsy that allegedly was done at a lawyer’s house in Faridkot after the incident.

The role of then Fazilka superintendent of police (SP detective) Bikramjit Singh, one of accused in the case, is under the scanner.

The SIT is probing alleged tampering with bullets extracted from the victims’ bodies.

As per the September 2017 report of the central forensic laboratory, rifle grooves were extensive tampered with.

The Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh Commission of Inquiry in its report had questioned the working of the Sahota-led SIT saying its probe made no progress.

“It appears that this was done to let the police officers responsible escape the law. Sahota does not have any valid explanation for the lapse in not pursuing the probe into two murders,” read the report.

First Published: Feb 24, 2019 23:03 IST