Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal. (File) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal was on Wednesday questioned for six hours from 11 am to 5 pm by Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Additional Director General of Police L K Yadav which is probing 2015 Kotkapura police firing case.
Sukhbir was questioned at Punjab Police Officers’ Institute in sector 32 here. After the questioning as he emerged out, Sukhbir was accompanied by his brother-in-law and senior Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema, former SGPC chief Jagir Kaur and BJP import into Akali Dal Anil Joshi.
Earlier, Sukhbir was questioned by the Yadav led SIT in June last year in connection with police firing at Kotkapura on a gathering on October 14, 2015 which was protesting against the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari village on October 12, 2015. Again, Yadav led SIT had summoned Sukhbir again on August 30 this to question him regarding Kotkapura incident, but Sukhbir did not appear before the SIT that day, as he appeared before a Zira court in another case relating to blocking national highway. Yadav led SIT has summoned him again on September 14 (Wednesday).
After the questioning, Sukhbir told media that “the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was raking up the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan cases purely to divert attention from its scandals.”
On September 6, Sukhbir was questioned for around three hours by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Inspector General Naunihal Singh which is probing the Behbal Kalan police firing incident where two anti-sacrilege protestors were killed in 2015 during the rule of then SAD-BJP government in Punjab. That was for the first time, Sukhbir, who was at the time of incident in 2015 was the deputy chief minister in erstwhile SAD-BJP alliance government and had home portfolio, was questioned in Behbal Kalan police firing case.
On Wednesday, after questioning, Sukhbir told media, “I am repeatedly being asked questions about the firing incident even though it is clear that this action was taken by the authorised officer”.
Asking the SIT to be “fair and objective”, Sukhbir said “I am ready for questioning hundred times but this issue should not be politicized”. He said “it was shocking that despite the High Court direction that there would not be any interference in the functioning of the SIT which is to report directly to it”, a minister of AAP was issuing statements that the SIT was likely to arrest him at any time. “Under what authority is he making such statements?” Sukhbir asked, adding the minister was “liable to be prosecuted for contempt of court”.
Asserting that “the AAP government was also following in the footsteps of the previous Congress government”, Sukhbir said “I am being summoned repeatedly to divert attention from the scandals of this government, the latest one being the extortion scam of minister Fauja Singh Sarari”.
Pointing out that “there were three cases which were being investigated”, Sukhbir said “while investigation into the main case of sacrilege at Bargari was over with the AAP government submitting the final challan in the case, the two cases of firing at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura were being probed now. People want the culprits in all these cases to be brought to book and punished for their deeds but this government is only playing politics on this issue.”
Speaking about the “role of former IG turned AAP legislator Kunwar Vijay Pratap [Singh]”, the SAD president said “the former IG had fabricated evidence to embroil the senior SAD leadership in false cases.”
“Rejecting the “blemished and manufactured” investigation carried by him, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had held that his “political theatrics” during the probe were clearly established,” said the SAD president, adding: “I am hopeful that he will get the punishment of his wrongdoings.” Speaking further, Sukhbir Singh Badal said “similarly a false case had also been registered against former minister Bikram Majithia”.