Kotkapura police firing: Call details of SIT members can’t be shared, govt tells court

The state government has opposed the application that the accused in the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case, suspended inspector general (IG) of police Paramraj Singh Umranangal, has filed in court for retaining call detail records (CDRs) and other details pertaining to mobile phones of all the members of special investigation team (SIT) that is probing the 2015 sacrilege and police firing cases.

The prosecution told the Faridkot district and sessions court that CDRs cannot be provided to the accused cop as this will disclose the identity of police informers and sources, who are not to be presented in the court. Arguing on the behalf of the state government, district attorney Rajneesh Goyal said, “The accused have no right to demand CDRs of investigating officers.”

The team of defence counsel, however, argued that this record of SIT members was crucial for the case and claimed that this will reveal the truth. “Investigation is politically influenced and cops are implicated falsely,” they claimed. On Friday, arguments were also held on the revision petitions that the accused cops had filed. The hearing has been adjourned to November 15. 

Umranangal; former SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma; former Akali MLA Mantar Singh Brar, then Ludhiana additional deputy commissioner (ADCP) Paramjit Singh Pannu, then Kotkapura deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Baljit Singh and then Kotkapura station house officer Gurdeep Singh Pandher appeared before the district and sessions judge Harpal Singh.