Dubai caller’s claim ‘belies’ police theory

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 22

While the Centre is said to have sought a report from the state government on its claim of the involvement of “foreign hand” into the recent sacrilege incidents, it has come to light that the two persons based in Dubai and Australia had sent a mere Rs 1.07 lakh to four persons in Punjab.

One of them, Sukhjit Singh of Melbourne, Australia, came out in the open on his own yesterday to reveal his identity. He said he had sent 150 Australian dollars (about Rs7,400) to Rupinder Singh and other persons injured in the police firing and lathicharge.

The second caller Hardip Singh Khalsa, who belongs to Phagwara and drives a truck in Dubai, said several Punjabis working in Dubai gathered about Rs1 lakh and sent it to the four injured.

“We collected about Rs1 lakh. These were sent to three injured persons. Of this amount Rs25,000 meant for Rupinder Singh was not delivered as the police did not allow anyone to meet him,” he told The Tribune.

Both have denied funding Rupinder Singh and other accused of sacrilege incidents. IPS Sahota, ADGP, who heads the SIT formed to investigate the sacrilege incidents, called for patience on the matter. “Our investigation is on. Let us conclude it,” he said declining to comment further.

Sahota during a press briefing two days ago had said persons aiming to cause disturbance were targeting economically weaker sections for carrying out such acts.