Five years on, probe into police firing still a work in progress
FARIDKOT : The investigation into the October 2015 Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura police firing episodes, which sparked statewide protests, seems to have reached no conclusion so far with the special investigation team (SIT) having filed as many as six chargesheets in the cases.
Two Sikh protesters— Gurjeet Singh of Sarawan village and Krishan Bhagwan Singh of Niamiwala village in Faridkot district— were killed during the protest at Behbal Kalan.
The SIT recently named the then director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini as accused in both the firing incidents. It has named a total of 11 people, including nine police personnel, as accused, with one of the cops turning approver.
What happened on Oct 14, 2015
The police teams opened fire on the people protesting against the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura on October 14, 2015. Gurjeet Singh and Krishan Bhagwan Singh, who died in the firing, had joined the villagers holding a demonstration at the Behbal Kalan bus stand against the sacrilege incident at Bargari two days earlier. The firing started around 3am at Kotkapura and at Behbal Kalan at 9:30am. Gurjeet sustained three bullet injuries while Bhagwan Krishan received four bullets.
What triggered the protests
A ‘bir’ (copy of Guru Granth Sahib) was stolen from a gurdwara at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala on June 1, 2015, triggering outrage. On October 12, 2015, torn pages of the ‘bir’ were found scattered in front of a gurdwara at Bargari village. A unit led by now suspended inspector general of police Paramraj Singh Umaranagal (then Ludhiana police commissioner), who is also an accused on the case, reached the spot. The police resorted to firing after the situation turned tense as they tried to remove the protesters from the dharna site.
How things panned out
Soon after the firing episode, the police lodged two FIRs against the protesters and justified the firing as an act of self-defence. Faced with anger among the Sikhs, the then SAD-BJP government formed an SIT to probe the sacrilege and firing incidents. Also, the government formed a commission led by Justice (retd) Zora Singh to probe the sacrilege incidents.
In 2017, the new Congress government formed the Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh commission that indicted the cops in its report. An FIR was registered against unidentified policemen on August 7, 2018, in the Kotkapura incident.
What next
The SIT found that the cops opened fire on the peaceful protesters on Umaranagal’s direction and later conspired to cover up the incidents. It is preparing to file a final chargesheet in the firing cases. More than a dozen writ petitions filed by the accused are pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.