SIT adds charges of fabricating evidence to FIR
FARIDKOT: The special investigations team (SIT) probing the 2015 police firing on the Bargari sacrilege protesters on Thursday added charges of fabricating evidence in the Behbal Kalan case, earlier registered under sections of murder and attempt to murder.
The move comes days after the SIT arrested Faridkot lawyer Sohail Singh Brar and Pankaj Bansal, a Moga-based car dealer, for their alleged role in fabricating evidence in the Behbal Kalan firing episode.
The SIT had arrested Brar and Bansal for allegedly helping the accused policemen in constructing ‘fake self-defence theory’ by fabricating bullet marks on the escort vehicle of the then Moga senior superintendent of police (SSP) Charanjit Singh Sharma. Brar was arrested on June 16, while Bansal was taken in custody on June 20.
Sections 194 (fabricating evidence to procure conviction of capital offence) and 195 (giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of offence punishable with imprisonment for life or imprisonment) of Indian Penal Code were added to the FIR filed in 2018.
Last month, the SIT also added Section 109 (punishment of abetment if the act is committed where no express provision is made for punishment) to the FIR.
PRODUCTION WARRANT OF EX-SHO ALLOWED
Judicial magistrate (first class) Ekta Uppal on Thursday allowed production warrant of then Kotkapura station house officer (SHO) Gurdeep Singh Pandher on the plea of the SIT.
Pandher was arrested on June 25 for his alleged role in tampering with evidence in the Kotkapura firing case. He was sent to judicial custody the next day. District attorney Rajnish Goyal, who appeared for SIT, said, “The Bathinda jail superintendent has been asked to produce Pandher in the court on Friday. We will demand his police custody for further investigation.”
Acting district and sessions judge Harbans Singh Lekhi adjourned the hearing in the bail applications of Pandher, Brar and Bansal, who were arrested in the 2015 Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura police firing cases, to Saturday. They all are in judicial custody.
Defence counsel Gursahib Singh Brar said, “The prosecution opposed the bail of Brar and Bansal citing addition of new sections in the Behbal Kalan case and that of Pandher demanding production warrant.”