Panel indicts SAD-BJP, but doesn’t blame Badal

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 18

The Justice Ranjit Singh Commission has indicted the previous SAD-BJP government for its failure to either trace the theft of “bir” of Guru Granth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village and for police firing on protesters at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan. It, however, stops short of holding former CM Parkash Singh Badal responsible with any degree of surety.

The report, claim sources, has given Badal the benefit of the doubt, saying either he or the then DGP (Sumedh Singh Saini) ordered the use of force against protesters at Kotkapura on October 14, 2015.

Quoting a witness, the report says Badal had agreed with the Faridkot administration and local Akali MLA Mantar Singh Brar that the police should not use force to lift the dharna.

“As per the witness, the situation changed after Brar spoke to DGP Saini thrice on October 14, who assured that the dharna would be lifted within 10 minutes, and this resulted in police action. The decision to use force came from the DGP without giving due consideration to the views of the administration,” an official source, quoted the inquiry report.

The report, it is learnt, says that “the DGP had his ways and the CM also could not tell him to desist from using force”. Several people, who were protesting at Bargari were injured in a stampede caused after the police used force. On the same day, a police team led by the then Moga SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma used force on another group of protesters at Behbal Kalan village, wherein two persons were killed.

Sources say while the report categorically blames top police officers, including Saini, IG PS Umranangal and SSP Sharma among others for use of force on protesters at both Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, the report is only “indicative” of the complicity of the former CM in the police action, and that too, only in the Kotkapura incident.

It may be mentioned that while Badal and former Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal had declined to appear before the Commission, Saini, too, has not deposed before it even as he was summoned twice. He had only sent an affidavit regarding 12 questions that the Commission had posed to him in the summons in June.

Top cops named

• Sources say the panel has held police officers Sumedh Singh Saini, Paramraj Singh Umranangal, Amar Singh Chahal, SS Mann, Charanjit Sharma, Raghbir Singh responsible for Kotkapura firing
• It says that though none of them is seen using firearm, a case be registered against them under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of IPC
• The FIR in Kotkapura police firing case registered last week has not named any officer

Officers in loop?

• The report is learnt to have pointed a finger at then Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal, Principal Secretary SK Sandhu and Special Principal Secretary Gaggandip Singh Brar 
• The then Faridkot DC exchanged 22 SMSes with Brar, 21 SMSes and eight calls with Sandhu and sent 23 SMSes to Kaushal 
• The officers are learnt to have told the Commission that they couldn’t recall the content of messages