Court questions delay in filing chargesheet against three cops

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, November 20

During the hearing of arguments on framing of charges against former Moga SSP Charanjit Sharma in police firing incident at Behbal Kalan, in which two persons were killed in October 2015, the Court of District and Sessions Judge, Harpal Singh on Wednesday questioned the Special Investigation Team (SIT) about the reasons of inordinate delay in filing the chargesheet against three other prime accused in the case.

While the chargesheet against Charanjit was filed on April 24, the SIT is yet to file it against three other prime accused — the then Fazilka SP (detective) Bikramjit Singh, then Bajakhana SHO sub-inspector Amarjit Singh Kular, and inspector Pardeep, who was the reader to then Moga SSP Charanjit.

During the arguments on framing of charges against former SSP today, his counsel objected to framing of the charges, saying the SIT has presented a bifurcated chargesheet, so the charges should not be framed against Sharma at this stage.

Taking a serious view of the SIT not filing the chargesheet against three accused even seven months after it presented the chargesheet against Charanjit, the court askedthe counsel for the SIT toget the reasons of thisdelay. The court adjourned the case for December 7.

While sources in the SIT claim that framing of chargesheet against three accused is pending as they could not be arrested and questioned by the SIT so far. As the High Court had put a stay on the arrest of these three accused, so we are contesting this stay and hopeful of arresting them and file the chargesheet after their questioning,” said a SIT member.

In its chargesheet, filed on April 4, the SIT had claimed that to fabricate false evidence against the peaceful protesters at Behbal Kalan on October 14, 2015, former SSP Charanjit Sharma’s escort gypsy was taken to the house of a lawyer in Faridkot where Bikramjit Singh, then Fazilka SP, had asked a car dealer to arrange for a gun.

The dealer reportedly sent his company’s manager and private security guard to provide a gun to Bikramjit Singh and the latter had fired from this gun to fabricate 18 bullet marks on the escort gypsy at the advocate’s residence.

Despite them being prime accused in fabricating evidence, the SIT retained the mas witnesses in this case.