The five-page supplementary is based on the written statement of former DGP Sumedh Saini.
 |
| Former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal |
The final report of Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh Commission, has indicted former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for the police action against protesters at KotKapura.
Justice Ranjit Singh Commission was formed by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to probe the sacrilege incidents and subsequent events, including the killing of two Sikh protesters in police firing at Behbal Kalan.
The report tabled in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha along with a five-page supplementary, has concluded that the police had kept Badal in the loop while taking action to lift the dharna by Sikhs protesting against the sacrilege. The report, which has already been rejected by the Shiromani Akali Dal, has given enough ammunition to the ruling Congress to attack SAD in general and the Badal family in particular.
“The earlier view expressed by the Commission on page 50 to 52 of Part-1 of the report, needs to be clarified... chief minister Shri Parkash Singh Badal was in touch with the DGP as well as the district administration and cannot be considered ignorant about the action which was finally taken by the police at Kot Kapura,” the report states.
“Earlier the commission had in its report observed that the facts may indicate the involvement of the CMO but now it is clear that chief minister (Parkash Singh Badal) and the CMO (Chief Minister Office) were apparently kept in the loop about the action proposed and the action finally taken at Kot Kapura,” reads the report.
The commission indicted Badal on the basis of a written statement submitted by then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, who was removed from his post after the firing incident.
On the basis of Saini’s written statement, the second part of the report says, “The witnesses disclosed before the Commission that the police took action to lift the dharna by using force upon directions given by the DGP… there is sufficient material available on record in the form of telephone calls between the deputy Commissioner and MLA Mantar Singh Brar with the CM’s Special Principal Secretary Gagandeep Brar. It is on record that contact was established with Gagandeep Brar who made the chief minister speak to Mantar Brar. Soon after Mantar Brar spoke to DGP Sumedh Saini, that too on being asked by Gagandeep Brar. The chain is, thus, complete and it is clear that chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was not only in touch with the district administration, but was in touch with the DGP as well, and was quite aware about the situation developing at Kot Kapura and also about the proposed action by the police,” reads the report.
It further reads, “Sufficient material is available with the commission that when the district administration was asked to speak to the then DGP, he (DGP) had conveyed in no uncertain terms that they (district administration and MLA) should not bother much and that he will get the dharna site cleared within 10 minutes.
The commission said that it had given the former CM the chance to explain his position, but he didn’t cooperate or depose before the commission.
Badal has submitted a letter to the Speaker, seeking to be recused from the session on account of poor health.
Capt Amarinder has already announced that CBI will probe the Behbal Kalan and KotKapura firing incidents. Two persons were killed during the Behbal Kalan firing. One person suffered bullet injuries, while several others were hurt in the lathi-charge by police at Kot Kapura on the morning of October 14, 2015.
0 comments:
Post a Comment