SIT TO QUESTION BADAL TODAY
ExCM writes to SIT that he will be available at his Chandigarh residence
The special investigation team (SIT) probing the sacrilege incidents and police firing in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in October 2015 will record statement of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal at his MLA flat in Sector 4 here on Friday. Badal, patron of the Shiromani Akali Dal, has conveyed to the SIT head that he will be available at his official residence on Friday after 2 pm.
The SIT had earlier sent a notice to Badal under Section 160 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to record his statement in the case at the Amritsar circuit house on Friday. However, the notice was amended on Wednesday after media reports pointed out that anyone above the age of 65 cannot be summoned to a police station to record his statement under this section. In the amended summons, the former CM was asked to record his statement at the place of his convenience.
‘NO STATEMENT IF IG VIJAY PARTAP SINGH COMES ALONE’
Notably, Badal has conveyed his availability to SIT by writing a letter to its head, additional director general of police (ADGP) Parbodh Kumar, who is director, Bureau of Investigations. He has chosen not to respond to inspector general (IG) Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, an SIT member who has sent notices to Badal, his son and SAD chief Sukhbir Badal and Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar.
Sukhbir has been asked to appear on November 17 and Akshay on November 21 at the circuit house, Amritsar.
“As this section mandates no male person above the age of 65 years shall be required to attend at any place other than the place in which such male person resides, in compliance thereof, I shall keep myself available to you on the said date and time at one of my place of residence (sic) mentioned in the notice,” reads the letter sent by Badal.
The party, after a meeting of its senior leaders held at Badal’s residence on Thursday, decided that the former CM would not give his statement if IG Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh comes alone.
Even if the IG is accompanied by other officials and he asks any question to Badal, the latter would not give any reply to him, said a SAD spokesman, while disclosing the party’s strategy to HT. “As we have already alleged that the IG is functioning like a Congress leader, there is no point in giving statement to him,” he said.
WHY PROBE TEAM NEEDS BADAL’S STATEMENT?
The SIT needs Badal’s statement as he was the chief minister when the incidents of sacrilege and police firing took place in 2015. Two Sikh protesters were killed in firing at Behbal Kalan in Faridkot district and another two were injured at Kotkapura.
Earlier, the report of the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission, constituted by the Captain Amarinder Singh government to probe these sacrilege and firing incidents, had also “indicted” Badal for the firing on the basis of statement given by the then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini. The report of the panel was presented before the state assembly on August 28 this year.
Saini, who did not appear before the commission despite repeated summons, had given a letter to the panel that he had talked to the then CM Badal on October 14, 2015 at 2 am on the situation in Kotkapura.
The police action to remove Sikh protesters came a few hours after this conversation, the report alleged while pointing fingers over the role of Badal and Saini. Though the Ranjit panel had indicted Badal on the basis of Sani’s statement, the SIT has decided to record former CM’s statement before Saini. The probe team is yet to serve summons to former DGP to appear before it to record his statement.
SUKHBIR HAS BEEN ASKED TO APPEAR ON NOVEMBER 17 AND ACTOR AKSHAY KUMAR ON NOV 21 AT CIRCUIT HOUSE, AMRITSAR