Punjab Police on Tuesday detained Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal for protesting outside Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's residence, news agency ANI reported. Badal along with scores of SAD workers demonstrated outside Amarinder's residence in Siswan against the SIT summon to former Punjab Parkash Singh Badal in the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident.
Lashing out at the Congress government, he said, "If a storm rises, Captain won't be able to stop it, even if he uses all his force. There is a scam in vaccination, there is a scam in Fateh Kit, there is a scam in SC scholarship, farmers' land is being acquired."
Meanwhile, Parkash Singh Badal has asked the SIT to reschedule the date of his appearance before it, saying he is not keeping good health. Reiterating his “intent and commitment” to fully cooperate with the law and "complete faith" in the judiciary, Badal, in his communication to the SIT chairman, said that he has been advised “complete bed rest for ten days by doctors”.
The SIT had summoned the Shiromani Akali Dal stalwart to appear before it with "relevant records" on Wednesday at a rest house in Mohali on June 16.
In his two-page response to the summons from the SIT, Badal said “as soon as my health gets better, I will be available to join the investigation as per law, at my current place of residence (MLA flat in Chandigarh)”.
Badal was the CM when the sacrilege and subsequent police firing incidents took place in Faridkot in 2015.
The Punjab government formed the new SIT led by Additional Director General of Police L K Yadav to probe the Kotkapura police firing incident following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The new SIT is investigating the two FIRs registered on October 14, 2015, and August 7, 2018, in connection with the Kotkapura incident.
The high court had on April 9 this year quashed a report by an earlier Punjab Police SIT into the firing at people protesting in Kotkapura in 2015 over the alleged desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in Faridkot district. The court had then directed the state government to set up a new SIT without Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, an Indian Police Service officer who was part of the earlier team. Singh took voluntary retirement after the court order.
The police had also opened fire at a similar demonstration in Behbal Kalan, also in Faridkot, where two people were killed. A separate probe is underway in that case.
READ MORE: Kotkapura Firing: Parkash Singh Badal not to appear before SIT on June 16
READ MORE: Kotkapura police firing: Parkash Singh Badal summoned by SIT on June 16
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