Charge sheet in Behbal Kalan police firing case soon, says Punjab govt

The Punjab government will soon file a charge sheet in a court pertaining to the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing incident in which two Sikh protesters were killed. Punjab Cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora apprised the representatives of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha about it in a meeting held here on Wednesday, said an official release.

The ministers apprised the delegation that the state government will soon present a challan in the court regarding the Behbal Kalan firing incident, said the release. Notably, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case had on February 24 filed a charge sheet in a court in Faridkot naming the then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal, former DGP Sumedh Saini and others.

The incidents related to the theft of a 'bir' (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters, and torn pages of the holy book being found scattered at Bargari had taken place in Faridkot in 2015.

These incidents had triggered protests and two persons – Gurjeet Singh and Kishan Bhagwan Singh -- were killed in Behbal Kalan and few injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot in police firing.

While L K Yadav-led SIT is probing the Kotkapura firing case, Naunihal Singh-led SIT is investigating the Behbal Kalan firing incident. The Cabinet ministers also apprised the representatives of the morcha that the state government has already flagged the issue of making stringent provisions pertaining to sacrilege in the Indian Penal Code with the Union home minister.

Besides demanding justice in the 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents in Faridkot, the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha has also been seeking the release of Sikh prisoners, including Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh's assassination, and Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, a 1993 Delhi bomb blast convict.

On the issue of Sikh prisoners, the state ministers said for the release of Gurdeep Singh Khera and Bhullar, the state government will soon contact the Delhi and Karnataka governments, said the release.

Khera has been serving a life sentence for the last 32 years in a case registered under several sections including 302 of the IPC and TADA Act. He was shifted from the Karnataka jail to Amritsar jail in 2015.

It was also decided that the government will accept the pleas of the families of Gurmeet Singh, Lakhwinder Singh Lakha and Shamsher Singh for their early release and start the process accordingly, the release said.

The ministers also assured that the state government will take legal advice on shifting all the cases related to Jagtar Singh Hawara to a Mohali court. It was decided that the decision on this will be taken before March 31.

Hawara, Gurmeet, Lakhwinder and Shamsher are serving life terms in Beant Singh's assassination case.

In view of the inconvenience being caused to people at the Chandigarh-Mohali border, the morcha representatives agreed to postpone their march towards the chief minister residence till March 31, said the release.

The morcha has been holding the protest in support of its demands at the Chandigarh-Mohali border since January 7.