To probe sacrilege, new SIT reaches Faridkot

Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service
Faridkot, October 12

Rattled by the heavy turnout of people in the protest march at Bargari-Kotkapura on October 7 and a day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court sought status report in connection with the FIR registered against five policemen in connection with the Behbal Kalan firing on October 2015, the newly formed special investigation team (SIT) reached Faridkot on Friday to probe sacrilege incidents.

Led by Prabodh Kumar, a senior IPS officer, the SIT reached Faridkot and visited Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan to inspect the spots where the firing incidents occurred on October 14, 2015.

Prabodh Kumar, who had a long stint with the CBI, was accompanied by Arunpal Singh, IG, Satinder Singh, SSP Kapurthala, and Bhupinder Singh, Commandant, as members of the SIT.

It was the first visit of the SIT to this area since its formation on September 10. The SIT was formed three days after the state government had issued a notification, withdrawing the investigation of sacrilege incidents from the CBI.

The SIT has been entrusted to investigate four criminal cases, registered at Kotkapura and Bajakhana relating to sacrilege, police firing incidents and killing of two Sikh protesters.

“We are collecting the details of all investigation conducted by the police in these cases so far and also interacting with the persons who were associated with the investigation,” said Prabhod Kumar.

The SIT has set its office at the Circuit House in Faridkot. The SIT members will do their best in probing these cases and pinpointing the accused, said the ADGP.

Police sources revealed that after overwhelming response to the October 7 protest march at Bargari and Kotkapura and in view of October 14, the third death anniversary programme of two Sikhs at Bargari, who were killed at Behbal Kalan on October 14, 2015, in police firing, the state government was under pressure to speed up the functioning of the SIT.

Moreover, as the state government is under attack of Panthic leaders and hardliners for its soft-pedaling against the accused police officers in the firing incident and them getting relief from the High Court, the starting of investigation by the SIT is to be used as a defence, revealed sources.