Security for dera supporters accused of sacrilege, Bittu’s kin

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, June 25

Three days after the alleged killing of Mohinder Pal Bittu, a Sacha Sauda Dera follower, in high-security Nabha Jail, the Faridkot police on Tuesday deployed police forces at the residence of Bittu at Kotkapura and provided police security to two other dera followers — Shakti Singh of Daggu Romana village of Faridkot and Sukhjinder Singh, alias Sunny Kanda, of Kotkapura.

Bittu, Shakti Singh and Sukhjinder Singh, alias Sunny Kanda, were prime suspects in three sacrilege incident happened in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and Bargari villages in 2015.

After their arrest by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of police in an eight-year-old rioting case in Moga in June last year, the CBI had taken the remand of Bittu, Sukhjinder and Shakti to investigate their involvement in sacrilege cases.

As the CBI failed in filing chargesheet against these three suspects, on September 12, 2018, the CBI Mohali Court had granted bail to Mohinder Pal Bittu, Shakti Singh and Sukhjinder Singh. But before their release, the police arrested them in three other cases.

These cases were for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, carrying an illegal weapon and alleged involvement in unlawful activities. About two month back, while Shakti Singh and Sukhjinder Singh had got bail from the High Court, Mohinder Pal Bittu was waiting for a similar relief in the coming days, before he was killed in Nabha Jail on June 22.

Fearing threat to their security after the murder of Bittu in jail, the police have provided special security cover to the family of Bittu and two other accused in the sacrilege incidents.

“We are taking these measures so that there is no disturbance of peace and no threat to any life,” said a senior police officer in Faridkot.