ADGP Jitender Jain, IG Umranangal spar before SIT
BLAME GAME Umranangal said his senior Jitender Jain was present on the spot and giving orders when firing took place
CHANDIGARH: The SIT, probing the case of police firing on anti-sacrilege protesters in 2015, on Monday grilled four senior cops for four hours. The day saw ADGP Jitender Jain and IG Paramraj Umaranangal sparring on issue.
OFFICERS SAID EX-SSP CHARANJIT SHARMA WAS SENT TO BARGARI POLICE POST AND ON THE WAY, THE POLICE PARTY WAS MOBBED AT BEHBAL KALAN, RESULTING IN FIRING
CHANDIGARH:The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police probing the case of police firing on anti-sacrilege protesters in 2015 grilled four senior cops for over four hours on Monday.
The day saw ADGP Jitender Jain and IG Paramraj Umranangal sparring on the issue of who was commanding the force when the firing took place.
Those questioned on Monday were ADGP Jitender Jain, then IGP Bathinda Range; Paramraj Singh Umranangal, then Ludhiana commissioner of police; IGP Amar Singh Chahal, then DIG Ferozepur Range; Paramjit Singh Pannu, then Ludhiana SP; and Harjit Singh Sandhu, then Kotkapura SDM.
While the SIT officials remained tight-lipped on the questioning of the officers, it is learnt that the officers were confronted with certain details which the officers (who appeared before the SIT) refused to acknowledge.
It is learnt that Umranangal and Jain tried to “escape” the responsibility of commanding the police force during the Bargari demonstration. Umranangal reportedly told the SIT that Jain, who is two years senior to him, was present on the spot and there was no way he (Umranangal) could have commanded the situation in his presence.
Sources in the SIT said, Umranangal claimed that it was Jain who commanded the police as he happened to be the IG, Bathinda Range. Jain, however, reportedly stated that it was Umranangal who was giving instructions to the force. Jain said that though he was posted as IG, Bathinda Range, on October 10, he was still functioning as IG (counter-intelligence) Bathinda Range.
“Jain even denied having involved in any sort of negotiations with the Sikh protesters, but he was countered by Umranangal, citing meetings with some Sikh leaders three to four days before the police action,” an official said, requesting anonymity.
The SIT members confronted the police officers with a volley of tough questions. The police officers were grilled by SIT members, including its head ADGP Prabodh Kumar, IG Arunpal Singh, IG Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, SSP Satinder Singh and SP Bhupinder Singh.
The police officers claimed ex-SSP Charanjit Sharma (now detained) was sent to defend the Bargari police post that had been surrounded by a mob and on the way, the police party was mobbed at Behbal Kalan and two people were killed in the firing. The SIT members reportedly said it was a “concocted story” as police post was never mobbed.
Today’s questioning followed the arrest of former Moga SSP Charanjit Sharma, who was sent to 14-day judicial custody on January 7.
He was arrested from his Hoshiarpur residence on January 27 by the SIT.
On October 31, 2018, the SIT recorded statements of Jain, Umranangal, Chahal, the then Faridkot deputy commissioner Malwinder Singh Jaggi, then Faridkot SSP Sukhminder Singh Mann and then Faridkot SDM VK Syal in the 2015 Kotkapura firing case.