Month on, SIT probing Behbal Kalan incident remains headless

In June 2020, the investigation was entrusted to Kunwar Vijay Pratap after a rift between SIT members

FARIDKOT: Almost a month after Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh proceeded on voluntary retirement, no one has replaced him to lead the special investigation team (SIT) probing the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing case in which two Sikh protestors were killed.

Kunwar Vijay was reportedly upset after the Punjab and Haryana high court quashed the probe reports submitted by the SIT probing the Kotkapura firing case, and ordered the government to form a new probe team. Kunwar Vijay’s voluntary retirement request was accepted with effect from April 15.

Acting on the HC orders, the state government constituted the new three-member SIT headed by ADGP (vigilance bureau) LK Yadav to probe the Kotkapura firing case.

But the Behbal Kalan case is still under the first SIT formed by the Congress government in 2018. In June 2020, the investigation of the case was entrusted to Kunwar Vijay after a rift between the SIT members. But now after his retirement, the fate of the Behbal Kalan case hangs in the balance.

The investigation team is facing an uphill task to defend the chargesheets filled in Behbal Kalan case after HC had quashed reports in the Kotkapura case.

Hearing in the Behbal Kalan firing case on pleas of the accused cops, who claim they were falsely implicated, is scheduled for May 13 in the HC. The Faridkot court has fixed the next date of hearing on framing of charges against the accused on May 18.

A senior police official said at present three SIT’s are probing 2015 sacrilege and police firing cases. “The SIT led by inspector

general SPS Parmar is probing three FIRs related to Bargari sacrilege, while newly constituted SIT led by ADGP LK Yadav is investigating he Kotkapura firing case. But the Behbal Kalan firing case is still with the first SIT and there is confusion on who is leading it as no one has replaced Kunwar Vijay,” the official added.

District attorney Rajnish Goyal said only some junior team members appeared for the hearings ever since Kunwar Vijay’s retirement.

An SIT member said the probe in the Behbal Kalan case is complete and a six-member team was constituted by Kunwar Vijay on March 15 to assist the prosecution in the court. However, the district attorney said they have not received any communication in this regard.

In a letter dated March 15 to DGP Dinkar Gupta, Kunwar Vijay mentioned that one challan is required to be filed in FIR no. 130, which was registered at Bajakhan police station in connection with the Behbal Kalan firing incident on October 21, 2015. He also said a closure report has to be filed in FIR 129 (another case registered by police against protesters in connection with this case on October 14, 2015).