Before quitting, ex-IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap flagged plan to submit challan against Badals

Jupinderjit Singh & Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 19

Days before the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed his investigation into Kotkapura police firing case, Kunwar Vijay Pratap (IG whose resignation was accepted today) had written to the Punjab Police and Home Department on the challan to be submitted against former CM Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal.

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The ex-IG, who resigned on April 14, in the letter dated March 15, also brought to the notice of the government through the Punjab DGP, Director of Bureau of Investigation, and the Additional Chief Secretary, Home, that the Akali leaders had threatened him. He also specifically said the government and the state legal department did not take any action on his complaint about receiving threats from the accused.

He also sought protection for the witnesses in the case, citing the mysterious death of one of them, Surjit Singh, in January 2020. The Tribune has a copy of the letter.

The letter contains a detailed note about the entire investigation and legal points. None of the officers to whom the letter was addressed responded to The Tribune’s queries.

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Kunwar Vijay Pratap said he had already put in his papers and would not talk further on the issue.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said in a statement that he would file a defamation suit against the ex-IG for making false claims in the letter.

The SAD president said the ex-IG was obsessed with targeting the SAD and the Badal family. “The ex-IG knew from the proceedings of the Kotkapura firing case in the high court that his probe would be cast aside. The latest allegation is a result of this deep-rooted frustration and aimed at politicising a case after wasting three years pursuing the political agenda of the Congress party.

“It is a clear case of gross misuse of his official position to please his political bosses rather than nailing the culprits in the case.”

The ex-IG’s letter said, “The accused tried to put undue pressure and even threat to the life of mine and my family (sic); however, I have maintained full professional attitude…. Threat, coercive and abusive language used by Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia could not deter me from the righteous and rightful path…. The same has been reported to the competent authority from time to time. However, nothing from the state side has been done in this regard from the office of the Advocate General, Punjab.”

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On the status of investigation, he has written: “It is further submitted that the investigation of these cases has been completed in all respects. Sukhbir Singh, the then Deputy Chief Minister and in charge of Home Department, has been examined on l9.l l.20l9 by the SIT. Sardar Parkash Singh Badal, the then Chief Minister, has also been examined on 16.11.2018 by the SIT. One challan in respect of them is required to be submitted in the court of competent jurisdiction, as mentioned in the first challan presented on 27 .05.2019 in FIR No. 12912018 (PS City Kotkapura). Similarly, one challan is also required to be filed in FIR No. 130/2015 (Behbal Kalan firing case).”

Flagging the threat to the witnesses, the ex-IG’s letter said: “It is submitted that witness protection has become very crucial and indispensable at this stage in this case. It is a matter of fact that one of the key witnesses Surjit Singh died in January 2020 under mysterious circumstances.”

Letter cites threat

The ex-IG’s letter states, “The accused tried to put undue pressure. There is a threat to my life and that of my family.”

Resignation accepted

Punjab Govt on Monday accepted the resignation of IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh. He had resigned on April 14, days after the HC quashed the investigation carried out by him in the Kotkapura case.

Sukhbir threatens defamation suit

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal has said he will file a defamation suit against the IG for making “false claims” in the letter.

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