Former Punjab SSP Charanjit Sharma arrested in Behbal Kalan firing case

Jupinderjit Singh & Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 27

Probe by the Special Investigating Team (SIT) into the police firing at Behbal Kalan and Bargari entered a crucial phase with the arrest of former Moga SSP Charanjit Sharma on Sunday. He was produced before Faridkot Duty Magistrate Chetan Sharma tonight who remanded him in eight-day police custody.

Sharma allegedly headed a team of cops that opened fire on a crowd protesting incidents of sacrilege at Behbal Kalan on October 14, 2015.

Sharma was arrested from his house in Hoshiarpur at 3 am. Raids were also conducted to arrest former Mansa SSP Raghbir Singh Sandhu, former Faridkot SP Bikramjit Singh and former SHO Bajakhana Amarjit Kler. Sources said they are likely to move a petition against their arrest tomorrow. 

SIT member Kunwar Vijay Pratap (IG) said Sharma's arrest was a must as he could have “fled.”  Sharma’s questioning holds the key to the mystery behind as to who ordered the police firing that resulted in the death of two persons. His statement would reveal if the decision on opening fire on the crowd was taken on the spot or if directions came from then DGP Sumedh Saini, or the CM. Within days of the incident, Sharma was suspended and subsequently retired compulsorily.

The Congress government in August last year ordered that Sharma and four others be named in the Behbal Kalan case. Subsequently, his name was mentioned in the FIR on the basis of Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report. The commission was set up to probe cases of sacrilege in the state. Accused Charanjit Sharma, former Mansa SSP Sandhu, SP Faridkot Bikramjit Singh and SHO Kler could not be questioned as they had obtained a stay from the High Court. The stay was  vacated on January 25. 

Kler had alleged assault on cops 

Faridkot: Hours after the SIT arrested former Moga SSP Charanjit Singh in Hoshiarpur, the CIA staff in Faridkot raided the residence of Amarjit Singh Kler, the former SHO of Bajakhana, but in vain. Narinder Singh, the in-charge of the CIA staff in Faridkot, said Kular's family members told them he had left for an undisclosed place. 

Interestingly, a second case was filed on October 14, 2015, in which Kler was the complainant. He had alleged attack on a police team by ‘unknown’ persons when   told to lift the Kotkapura-Bathinda road blockade.