Govt failed to effectively handle Behbal Kalan firing case: Victim’s kin

Sukhraj Singh Niamiwala, a prominent leader of the Behbal Kalan Insaf Morcha and family member of one of the victims of the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing incident, has strongly criticised the Punjab Government for its handling of the case.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Niamiwala expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court’s recent rejection of the state government’s plea to shift the trial from Chandigarh back to Faridkot.

He alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government failed to pursue the case effectively in the apex court. “Earlier, the government had failed when the case was transferred from Faridkot to Chandigarh. Now, their plea to bring it back has also been dismissed due to poor legal representation,” said Niamiwala.

Criticising both the current and previous governments, he stated that despite forming governments on the promises of justice in the sacrilege and subsequent police firing cases, no serious action had been taken to honour those commitments. “Though two governments came to power by raising the issues of Bargari sacrilege and Behbal Kalan firing, the victims are waiting for justice,” he added.

Slamming the AAP government, he remarked, “Even the investigation into the Behbal Kalan firing case has not been completed, and no final chargesheet has been filed as promised.”

Niamiwala demanded that the Punjab Government should now ensure proper prosecution so that the culprits were punished. He alleged that police officers involved in the firing had been rewarded instead of being held accountable.