COPS WITNESS TO KOTKAPURA FIRING APPEAR BEFORE NEW SIT

FARIDKOT: Top police officials who were present on the spot during the firing incident at Kokapura on October 14, 2015, appeared before the newly constituted three-member special investigation team (SIT) led additional director-general of police (vigilance bureau) LK Yadav on Friday.

Then Ferozepur range inspector general of police (IGP) (now ADGP) Jatinder Jain, then Faridkot senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sukhmander Singh Mann, then Kotkapura DSP (now SP) Baljit Singh Sidhu, DSP Maninder Singh Bedi and some junior cops appeared before the SIT at its camp office at Faridkot. United Akali Dal leader Gurdeep Singh Bathinda also recorded his statement before the SIT.

Officials privy to the development said 16 persons, including top cops, appeared before the SIT on Friday, while 25 persons recorded their statement on Thursday.

The SIT had summoned 42 persons, who had recorded statements to previous SIT in Kotkapura firing case as witnesses.

Officials of the Faridkot medical college said a copy of the medical record of IG Jatinder Jain was also issued, which was sought by the SIT. The SIT has also summoned doctors of private hospitals, who provided initial medical assistance to the persons injured in Kotkapura firing incident.

The Punjab and Haryana high court on April 9 had quashed all the reports filed by the previous SIT headed by the inspector general of police (now retired) Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh into the Kotkapura firing. The state government constituted the new three-member SIT that has been directed to complete the investigation within six months.

Expediting the investigation SIT head Yadav, along with other two members, Ludhiana police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal and Faridkot range DIG Surjit Singh has been camping in Faridkot.