SIT names former Kotkapura SHO as accused in case

THE FIR IN THE BEHBAL KALAN FIRING WAS LODGED ON THE COMPLAINT OF GURDEEP PANDHER IN 2015, AND NOW HE IS AN ACCUSED IN THE SAME CASE

FARIDKOT : The special investigation team (SIT) probing the 2015 police firing cases has named the then Kotkapura station house officer (SHO) Gurdeep Singh Pandher as an accused in the first information report (FIR) registered in connection with the Behbal Kalan incident. He has been named for criminal conspiracy.

SIT member IGP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said, “During investigation, it was found that he was involved in the Behbal Kalan firing conspiracy. A charge-sheet has been filed against one accused, soon we will file a supplementary charge-sheet against the other accused.”

SIT sources added that the probe had found that the Behbal Kalan conspiracy was hatched at Kotkapura and Pandher acted as right-hand man of top officials accused in the police firing incidents. Pandher’s counsel Gursahib Singh Brar said they had been informed that his client had been named as an accused in the Behbal Kalan firing case, but it is yet to be confirmed under what charges his name has been included in the FIR.

Last month, the SIT had also named Faridkot lawyer Sohail Brar and Pankaj Bansal as accused in the Behbal Kalan firing case after their arrest. The SIT had arrested Pandher on June 25 by adding Sections 409 and 467 of the IPC in FIR 192, which was registered on Pandher’s complaint on October 14, 2015. He is lodged at Bathinda jail under judicial custody.

BAIL PETITION IN OTHER CASE DISMISSED

The court of additional district and sessions judge Harbans Singh Lekhi on Wednesday dismissed the bail applications of Pandher and then Kotkapura DSP Baljit Singh in FIR registered in 2015 in connection with Kotkapura firing incident. District attorney Rajnish Goyal said Pandher’s regular bail plea and Baljit’s anticipatory bail plea has been rejected by the court.