Sukhbir Badal quizzed for 5 hours in 2015 Kotkapura police firing case

PTI

Chandigarh, September 14

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday was questioned for more than five hours by a Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT) probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case.

The SIT, led by Additional Director General of Police LK Yadav, summoned the SAD chief, who was then deputy chief minister and also held home portfolio, for appearance before the probe team.

Sukhbir reached the Punjab Police Officers’ Institute here at around 11 am for questioning and left the venue at around 4.30 pm.

Senior party leaders and supporters gathered outside the officers’ institute and raised slogans against the AAP government.

The case relates to the theft of a ‘bir’ (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters, and torn pages of the holy book being found scattered at Bargari in Faridkot in 2015.

These incidents had triggered protests, and two persons, Gurjeet Singh and Krishan Bhagwan Singh, were killed in Behbal Kalan and a few protesters were injured at Kotkapura in police firing.

After being questioned, Sukhbir slammed the AAP government, accusing it of raking up the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan cases purely to “divert attention from its scandals”.

The SAD president on the Kotkapura firing case said all police actions are part of a laid down procedure. “The decisions are taken by the administration. I am repeatedly being asked questions about the firing incident even though it is clear that this action was taken by the authorised officer,” he said. Asking about the SIT to be fair and objective, he said, “I am ready for questioning 100 times but this issue should not be politicised.”

Earlier, the SIT had summoned Sukhbir on August 30 but the SAD chief did not appear before it and the party had then said that he had not been served summons.

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