Ex-SIT head questions exclusion of dera head name from new challan
AMRITSAR: Former inspector general of police (IGP) Ranbir Singh Khatra, who previously led the special investigation team (SIT) probing the Bargari sacrilege incident, on Monday questioned the incumbent SIT for allegedly excluding the name of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the chargesheet that it filed in court recently.
Addressing a meeting of representatives of Sikh organisations and intellectuals called by Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to discuss the sacrilege issue, Khatra said, “If it was a conspiracy, then who was the conspirator? The name of the dera chief was in the FIR number 63 registered for theft of Guru Granth Sahib’s holy saroop. The SIT has now submitted the challan in the FIR number 117 (pasting of derogatory posters) and 128 (scattering of pages of the holy saroop at Bargari village) and did not include the name of the sect head in list of the accused, even as the three FIRs are interlinked as per the court,”
“I had nabbed the ones who implemented the conspiracy. Now, the question is who will nab the conspirator,” he added.
On a clarification given by the present SIT chief SPS Parmar (IGP) that the investigation is still underway, Khatra said, “It
will be good if they are doing so”.
He also targeted Moga-based brothers Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh who were arrested on charges of the sacrilege in 2015, but released later, for their role in the episode.
On the pending interrogation of the Sirsa-based dera chief, the former DIG endorsed the version of the new SIT, saying there is no use of quizzing him until the dera’s three national committee members, who are key accused in this case, are arrested.
“If we take the dera chief on remand without arresting the three wanted men, it will be a waste of time and as per rules we will not be able to secure his custody for the second time.”
Giani Harpreet Singh and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Jagir Kaur also addressed the meeting. A resolution was also passed on checking frequent sacrilege incidents.