Govt proceedings against 2 more cops stayed

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday stayed the proceedings initiated by the Punjab government against two more police officials, in connection with the Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh Commission on sacrilege incidents and police firing in 2015.

The relief has come to former Fazilka superintendent of police (SP) Bikramjit Singh and an inspector, Pardeep Singh.

Last month, the high court had stayed similar proceedings against three other cops —former Moga SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma, former Mansa SSP Raghbir Singh Sandhu and the then Bajakhana SHO Amarjit Singh Kalar.

All of them were named in the first information report (FIR) registered over the firing on Sikh protesters at Behbal Kalan in Faridkot in October 2015, in which two persons had died.

On the basis of the Ranjit panel findings, offences added are Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (acts by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act at the Bajakhana police station in Faridkot.

The order was passed by the high court bench of justice RK Jain, seeking response from the Punjab government by October 11. The report and subsequent proceedings have been challenged on the grounds that panel summoned them as witnesses but later indicted them without any hearing in violations of the provisions of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, thus jeopardising their reputation.