Sukhbir told police to fire at protesters in 2015: Jakhar : The Tribune India

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Sukhbir told police to fire at protesters in 2015: Jakhar

CHANDIGARH: Two days before the Shiromani Akali Dal’s major rally on his home turf (Abohar), Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar accused SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal of orchestrating “pre-meditated violence on Sikh protesters at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in 2015”.



Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 7

Two days before the Shiromani Akali Dal’s major rally on his home turf (Abohar), Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar accused SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal of orchestrating “pre-meditated violence on Sikh protesters at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in 2015”.

Referring to his political rival as Sukhbir Singh “Insan” – a suffix used by followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, Jakhar, during an interview with The Tribune, said it was his (Sukhbir’s) arrogance that was going to be his nemesis.

“It was in his arrogance that he asked the police to fire at peaceful Sikh protesters in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan (in October 2015); it was this arrogance that led to his party’s crushing defeat in the 2017 elections; and it is this arrogance that seems to lead to ‘frittering away’ of the Akali Dal,” he said.

Jakhar further said: “Holding a rally is flexing his (political) muscles. It proves his political insecurity. Such a show of strength does not absolve him of the responsibility of opening fire on protesters, especially when he was donning two hats – Home Minister and president of a Panthic party like the Akali Dal.”

He added that Sukhbir had a lot to answer for, but was still not sensitive to his own reputation or the high position (SAD president) he held. ‘That’s why he keeps saying at each rally or public meeting — ‘Thok deyange, tang deyange’. He should learn humility from his father, and also the political acumen that Parkash Singh Badal has, if he wants to succeed,” the state Congress chief said.

Jakhar said the Badals may have rejected the Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) Commission report, but the (Justice Zora Singh) Commission set up by them, too, had come up with similar findings on innocent people being fired at from close range in Behbal Kalan.

“How can he (Sukhbir) run away from these facts? During the 10 years of the Akali-BJP rule, Sukhbir used to thunder that nothing could move in Punjab without his permission. Such a strong police action could not have taken place without his concurrence, as he was the de facto Chief Minister. Instead of controlling a law and order situation, he created a bigger law and order situation that threatened to tear apart the social fabric of Punjab,” Jakhar said.

Maintaining that it was Sukhbir who gave the order to use force and disperse the crowds, Jakhar said as the “co-conspirator” in the sacrilege cases, Sukhbir would not be forgiven by the people of the state.

“He held a meeting with the dera chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, where a deal on sharing profits of the latter’s movie was made. This is mentioned in the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report. What is not mentioned is the reason for granting pardon to the dera chief eight years after he tried to imitate Guru (Gobind Singh) Sahib — the movie had to be released on Friday so that one week’s collections could be earned. Pardon was granted on Thursday (September 24), and the first week’s collections were Rs 104 crore. It was not just votes, but ‘notes’ that led to the maafinama (pardon),” he alleged.

On the charges being levelled against his party and Congress ministers of trying to usurp the “Panthic agenda” and flirting with Sikh radicals and radical ideology, Jakhar denied the same, saying that the Congress was a secular party. He also dismissed the claims made by two of his party’s ministers in the Vidhan Sabha of wresting control of the SGPC from the Akali Dal.

“We won’t allow anyone to disturb the hard-earned peace of Punjab. We are not getting the radical leaders’ dharna at Bargari lifted only to avoid any untoward incident. Our government is trying to get it lifted peacefully,” he said. Toeing the line of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Jakhar said the ISI could have been involved in one or two cases of sacrilege after they saw trouble brewing in the border state.


SAD chief counters charges

  • On ordering use of force to lift dharna: Even the Ranjit Singh Commission report says I was out of the country. The report mentions my name only at three places, but never once in connection with the firing incident.

  • On monetary deal with Sirsa dera chief: Jakhar has gone berserk in making such allegations. Even in the report of a Commission set up by his party’s government, this incident is passed off as hearsay.

  • On being referred to as ‘Insan’: Jakhar has become frustrated after he saw that no one rejected Akalis in villages, as he had proclaimed after the Commission report came out. Rather, we are getting a stupendous response for our rally in his home town. Their government is so scared of us that they are not even allowing Akalis to file nomination papers for panchayat samiti and zila parishad elections.

  • On being called arrogant: His (Jakhar’s) defeat in Abohar in the 2017 elections was because of his arrogant nature. People still believe in the Akali Dal being the best bet for Punjab.

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