Cong wants CBI to reprobe sacrilege cases ‘closed’ by it

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 17

On the basis of fresh evidences during investigations carried into the Bargari cases by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police, the Congress government, led by Capt Amarinder Singh, will seek reinvestigation into the cases whose closure report the CBI has recently filed.

Having decided to oppose the closure report filed by the special CBI court recently, the Chief Minister is likely to direct the DGP, Punjab Police, to ask for reinvestigation into the cases as the cases were referred to the CBI during the previous Akali-BJP government. After the murder of Maninder Pal Bittu — the prime accused in the sacrilege cases — who was recently murdered in Patiala Jail, the police would be asking for probe into the entire case.

The Chief Minister has already asked the state’s Advocate General Atul Nanda to look into all the legal options to take the case to its logical conclusion.

A sizeable section of the Congress, including ministers Sukhjinder Randhawa and Tript Rajinder Bajwa, has been asking for strict action against Akalis.

Reiterating his promise to bring to book all those involved in the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, the Chief Minister said his government was committed to expose the entire conspiracy that was clearly behind the incident. Nobody can be allowed to get away with such brazen attempts to spread disharmony in the state, he asserted.

The Chief Minister ridiculed SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal over his ‘crocodile tears’ on the Bargari issue, and made it clear that his government will follow the cases to their logical conclusion.

Instead of probing the matter himself, Sukhbir, who was then Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister of the state, had been responsible for sending the first three cases related to the Bargari issue to the CBI, pointed out the Chief Minister.

Cabinet minister Sukhjinder Randhawa said, “If Sukhbir Badal cared so much about the Sikh interests as he loudly professes at every platform then he should get the closure report rejected by Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal in the meeting of the Union Cabinet instead of the SAD core committee.”