BEHBAL KALAN FIRING: VICTIMS’ KIN THREATEN TO RESTART PROTEST
FARIDKOT: The kin of the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing victims, on Wednesday, asked the state government to submit the final chargesheet in the case in the court as soon as possible otherwise, they will be forced to plan a larger protest. In Behbal Kalan, two Sikh protesters — Gurjeet Singh of Sarawan village and Krishan Bhagwan Singh of Niamiwala village in Faridkot district — were killed on October 14, 2015.
The son of one of the victims killed in the 2015 firing incident Krishan Bhagwan Singh, Sukhraj Singh, has been sitting in protest at a bus stop at Behbal Kalan village on national highway 54 against the delay in the investigation for the past 480 days. He has managed to find support from various Sikh organisations.
Highlighting a recent report by Hindustan Times (Two months after Kotkapura chargesheet no headway in the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing case, published on May 1) Sukhraj said that despite an assurance that a supplementary chargesheet in the Behbal Kalan case will be filed within 20 days after SIT submits chargesheet in Kotkapura case, the state government has failed to fulfil its promise.
“Nothing has been done in the Behbal Kalan firing probe in two months since a chargesheet was filed in the Kotkapura case,” he said. Sukhraj said, “In case no new chargesheet is filed then we will be forced to announce a larger protest to seek justice.”
On February 24, the Punjab police SIT filed a chargesheet in the Kotkapura firing case naming then Punjab chief minister late Parkash Singh Badal, his deputy and son Sukhbir Badal, and then state police chief Sumedh Singh Saini among seven, as accused. To date, five chargesheets have been filed in the court against seven persons in the Behbal Kalan firing case, including five cops -- former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, suspended IGP Paramraj Singh Umranangal, ex-SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma, SP Bikramjit Singh and inspector Amarjit Singh Kular. The chargesheet against accused inspector Gurdeep Singh Pandher is pending.