Badal quizzed by SIT on 2015 firing, calls it ‘political vendetta’

Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 16 

Former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was on Friday quizzed by a special investigation team (SIT) of the Punjab Police at his residence here. He termed his questioning, which lasted 50 minutes, and the summons to his son Sukhbir Singh Badal  “political vendetta”. 

The former CM was examined as a witness in the October 14, 2015, Kotkapura police firing case. A case of attempt to murder was registered in August this year. The proceedings were videotaped. 

“We asked him if he had spoken to the then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini on the night intervening October 13-14 and given any orders, efforts made to trace the missing ‘bir' from Jawahar Singh Wala village and those behind the sacrilege incidents at Bargari and if any action was taken against cops involved in the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing,” an SIT member said.  

IGP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh was the first to reachBadal’s residence. The SAD had on Thursday accused him of bias and of “playing to the tune of his political masters”. 

Badal asked the IG about the other SIT members. He sought to speak to the SIT chief, Additional DGP Prabodh Kumar, over the phone. The latter arrived in 10 minutes. All this while, Akali leaders, including party chief Sukhbir, were in the courtyard. 

Later, Badal appeared before the SIT and answered all questions. “Everyone knows that SIT’s report will be scripted by Capt Amarinder Singh. Yet, as a law-abiding citizen, I have cooperated with them,” he told the media. The SAD core committee held a meeting as soon as the SIT left.