Desecration, firing probe SIT faces rift

Chandigarh: The Special Investigative Team (SIT) set to probe the firing incidents of Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura after sacrilege incidents in Punjab, is once again in focus due to a rift in the members of the team. The Bebal Kalan firing incident and sacrilege incident refuse to die down as they suit the political parties. The issue helps parties to deflect attention from the people-centric issues.

After the reports of rift in the SIT team members, the officiating DGP VK Bhawra has called a meeting of members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the Behbal Kalan and Kotkpaura police firing incidents, to discuss reports about differences of opinion related to the investigation. The key member, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, took to Twitter suggesting that he was fighting a lonely battle “but will continue walking alone to his destination even if no one is with him”.

IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap is reportedly at the centre of a controversy surrounding the SIT ever since a chargesheet naming five cops and a former Akali MLA and suggesting involvement of senior Akali leaders was presented in a Faridkot court. It is alleged that some of the SIT members have reportedly disassociated themselves from “certain points” of the chargesheet.

Even as there is no consensus amongst SIT members, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Punjab Assembly, Harpal Singh Cheema has slammed the Amrinder Singh government for ceating hurdles in the process of free and fair investigations into the 2015 incident of desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Mr Cheema said that the transfer of IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh by arm-twisting the Election Commission of India (ECI) was a well thought-out ploy of Captain Amarinder to offer a protective cover to the accused, adding that the “objections” raised by the other members against IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh at a time when “challan” was filed against the accused, stating it was a mere design to derail the process of justice delivery and protect the high-profile accused, including then home minister and deputy chief minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal, and DGP, Sumedh Singh Saini and others.

The AAP leader said that ever since the investigation into the case kicked off, there had been political pressures to sabotage the investigations, saying if the other members had issues with Kunwar Vijay, why they didn’t speak up during the course of investigations. Why did they raise their “objections” on his being overbearing only after the filling of the “challan” against the accused.

On the other hand, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take strict action against Inspector General of Police Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh for continuing as member of the SIT team probing unfortunate police actions at Kotkapura and Behbalkalan in violation of the orders of the ECI.

A SAD delegation led by MP Balwinder Singh Bhundur called on the ECI here and informed it that the IG had continued to work as member, SIT even after the state government submitted a compliance report regarding the order to the ECI.

The delegation, including MP Naresh Gujral, Dr Daljit Cheema and Darbara Singh Guru, submitted a copy of the chargesheet signed by the IG on May 23 as member SIT to the ECI, saying this proved that Kunwar Vijay had continued to function as a SIT member even after he was relieved from this post by the ECI on May 5.

This action had been taken after a complaint filed by MP Naresh Gujral in which he has pointed out that the IG was making statements during the model code of conduct.