Kotkapura police firing: Pardon to Gurmeet Ram Rahim figures in chargesheet

Tribune News Service

Balwant Garg

Faridkot, September 3

The SIT, in its second supplementary chargesheet filed last week into the Kotkapura police firing case of October 2015, has brought on record the “mafinama” (pardon) granted to the Dera Sacha Sauda head by the Akal Takht Jathedar on September 24, 2015, revocation of this pardon on October 17, 2015, and the banning of the dera chief’s controversial film – “The Messenger of God” — in the state.

All related developments that led to sacrilege and culminated in the police firing at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura have been pointed out in the chargesheet, a copy of which is in the possession of The Tribune.

The pardon issued on September 24, 2015, to exonerate Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the blasphemy case has been made part of the second supplementary chargesheet filed by the SIT. The chargesheet consisted of 2,446 pages along with supportive documents in 11 volumes.

The SIT has also made the letters of ADGP (Intelligence); and Home Affairs and Justice Department of the state government part of the supplementary chargesheet. These showed recommendation to the state government for withholding the release of ‘MSG-2: The Messenger’ starring the dera chief, expressing apprehensions over the possibility of serious repercussions.

Though the movie was not banned, it was not screened in this area. As a result, dera followers lodged their protest. It led to the sacrilege incidents at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and Bargari.

Sacrileges led to protests against the dera followers and the state government and ultimately culminated in the police firing incidents at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan.

In this chargesheet, the SIT has placed on record the press note of the Jathedar, Akal Takht, about revoking of September 24, 2015 decision to exonerate the Dera Sacha Sauda head in the 2007 blasphemy case. It has been pointed out that as “a consensus” within the Panth on the pardon granted to the dera head could not be reached so the ‘gurmata’ (religious decree) not to take action against him stands withdrawn.

The SIT has submitted a list of 49 witnesses in this supplementary chargesheet and these witnesses include certain injured persons and eyewitness to the Kotkapura police firing incident, many police officers and employees of different government departments.

The FIRs and the record of the investigations made by the police in different sacrilege cases — registered at Moga, Faridkot and Bathinda area during 2011-2015 — are also part of this supplementary chargesheet.

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