SIT may manipulate chargesheet, fear Behbal victims’ kin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 18

Kin of Behbal Kalan firing victims today once again expressed their apprehensions regarding the fate of ongoing investigation into the case in the aftermath of the Election Commission’s move to transfer IGP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh from the SIT probing into it.

Addressing a press conference here today, Sukhraj Singh and Sadhu Singh said, “The EC has not responded in any manner to our complaint and representation given last week. We fear that in the absence of Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, the SIT is likely to present a ‘manipulated’ chargesheet against the accused senior police officers in the Faridkot court hearing the matter. Some media reports are already pointing in this direction.”

They alleged that Kunwar was “sidelined by the poll panel on a frivolous complaint” of the Shiromani Akali Dal. They claimed that the investigation was heading in the right direction under Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who was an officer with an impeccable service record, adding that the SIT was about to make some major breakthroughs.

They alleged that those under the scanner in the case used their influence to derail the probe by getting Kunwar shifted out of the SIT. They appealed to the Election Commission to intervene and reinstate Kunwar before the filing of the chargesheet by the SIT so that justice could be done.

“The EC can ask the police officer to refrain from going to the media,” they said.

Replying to the media queries regarding polls, they said they would sensitise the people to oppose the party involved in the sacrilege issue and subsequent police firing on peaceful protesters. They, however, clarified that they would not support any particular party in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

After taking up the issue with the Election Commission in Punjab last week, they have now written a fresh mail to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, seeking his intervention.