Unravelling truth behind events surrounding sacrilege incidents

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 18

More than five years have elapsed since the incidents of sacrilege, subsequent protests by people and police firing tore apart the social fabric in the state, leaving two persons dead and several injured. The wounds refuse to heal even with time. Bringing out the truth behind the events before and after the incidents is “The Sacrilege” — a non-fiction by Justice Ranjit Singh.

“The book presents the results of the investigation, sparing none, including powerful politicians, and is an eye-opener with startling revelations presented with facts. It is written in lucid and simple language unfolding the tragedy of events that occurred,” says Justice Ranjit Singh, a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, who headed the commission of inquiry set up to look into the incidents of sacrilege.

The book, having the potential to affect the fate of the impending Assembly elections in the state, is scheduled to be released on Wednesday by two former Chief Justices, Justice SS Sodhi and Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan, along with a former Supreme Court judge, Justice HS Bedi, and a Punjab and Haryana High Court judge, Justice Nawab Singh.

Justice Ranjit Singh says the book dwells deep into the circumstances leading to the incidents of sacrilege and the events that unfolded after it, including the affixing of posters and scattering of “holy angs of ‘saroop’ of Guru Granth Sahib”. “It hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community and the entire nation, leaving indelible scars, which are impossible to heal. Not only was blatant sacrilege committed, it was unfortunately followed by the firing of police personnel on innocent protesters leading to loss of human life. Various investigations by a special investigating team and a former judge into these cases made little headway, leaving the public clamouring for justice,” says Justice Ranjit Singh.

Talking about the commission and its report, he says it carried out the investigation without bias.

The firing at Kotkapura took place on October 14, 2015, after sacrilege. In his report tabled before the Vidhan Sabha, Justice Ranjit Singh asserted the responsibility of action at Kotkapura to forcefully evict the protesters sitting on peaceful dharna squarely lied with the police. 

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