2015 Kotkapura firing: Sukhbir appears in court, ex-DGP Saini skips hearing

Faridkot : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday appeared before the court of judicial magistrate (first class) Ajaypal Singh in connection with the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case.

The five accused cops, including former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini, gave the hearing a miss.

The cops filed applications through their counsels seeking exemption from personal appearance on separate grounds, which was granted by the court.

The special investigation team (SIT) led by ADGP LK Yadav probing the case has filed two chargesheet against Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir, Saini, suspended inspector general of police (IGP) Paramraj Singh Umranangal, then deputy inspector general (DIG) Amar Singh Chahal, then Faridkot senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sukhmander Singh Mann and former SSP Charanjit Sharma in an FIR registered in 2018 in connection with the Kotkapura firing case.

The SIT submitted a reply in the court on applications moved by the accused claiming deficiencies in the copies of the chargesheet filed against them.

On October 14, 2015, two persons died in Behbal Kalan and several were injured in Kotkupura in Faridkot district in police firing when they were protesting against sacrilege incidents at Bargari.

SIT grills ex-Kotkapura SHO in Behbal Kalan case

To expedite the process to file a supplementary chargesheet, the special investigation team (SIT) led by inspector general of police Naunihal Singh on Tuesday grilled then Kotkapura station house officer Gurdeep Singh Pandher and Faridkot-based advocate Suhail Singh Brar at Amritsar in the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing case.

Both were asked to appear before the SIT on Tuesday at the office of the commissioner of police at Amritsar in connection with two FIRs registered at the Bajakhana police station on October 14, 2015, and September 21, 2015.

In May 2021, a new SIT led by IGP Naunihal Singh was constituted. The move came after the high court quashed all chargesheets filed by the SIT member and then IGP Kunwar Vijay Pratap and ordered to constitute a new probe team for a fresh investigation.

Even two years after the reconstitution of the SIT probing the Behbal Kalan firing case, in which two Sikh protesters were killed, the probe team has failed to file a supplementary chargesheet against the remaining accused.

In October last year, the SIT had questioned SAD chief and former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal. Since then, the probe has failed to move forward, according to people familiar with the development.

Last year, the Punjab and Haryana high court had directed the trial court to take both Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing cases simultaneously on the same day.

The previous SIT-led by AGDP Prabodh Kumar had nominated eight persons --- then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, suspended IGP Paramraj Singh Umranangal, former Moga SSP Charanjit Sharma, SP Bikramjit Singh, then Bajakhana SHO Amarjit Kular, Moga-based car dealer Pankaj Bansal, Brar and Pandher in Behbal Kalan case.

The previous SIT had filed five chargesheets against seven accused, while chargesheet against Pandher is pending. The first chargesheet was filed in April 2019, naming Charanjeet Sharma as the conspirator. While last supplementary chargesheet was filed in January 2021 naming Saini and Umranangal as “masterminds”.

SIT claim that Brar helped cops in fabricating evidence and fabricated bullet marks were made on Punjab Police Gypsy at Brar’s residence with his weapon. While Pander was named for his alleged role in the ‘conspiracy’.