Nothing To Do With Behbal Kalan Case Sampla After Sit Quizzing

Former Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Sampla on Tuesday appeared before the special investigation team (SIT) probing the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing case related to sacrilege incidents.

Accompanied by supporters, Sampla reached the PAP headquarters where he was allowed to enter alone. The SIT, headed by additional director general of police (ADGP) Naunihal Singh, comprises assistant inspector general (AIG) Swarandeep Singh and deputy inspector general (DIG) Satinder Singh.

“I will fully cooperate with the investigation. I and my party have no involvement in this case. The government is acting out of political vendetta to defame our party,” Sampla said. He said that the cases date back to 2015, whereas he assumed the role of the party’s state president in 2016. “I was unaware of the reason for being summoned,” he said. According to Sampla, the investigators asked him to give information related to the memorandum submitted by the BJP in 2015 and 2018 to Punjab governor, seeking immediate action against the culprits, to which he said that he had no knowledge about it.

Earlier, Sampla had to appear on June 22 under Section 179(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), but he sought postponement citing the visit of national president Nitin Nabin. Former Faridkot deputy commissioner Malwinder Singh Jaggi and former officer on special duty (OSD) to the then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, Gagandeep Singh Brar, were also called by the SIT on Monday.

The SIT has recorded the statement of former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, who said Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had admitted to “wrongdoings” before the highest temporal seat, triggering a war of words between the SAD and the ruling AAP.

The Behbal Kalan firing case stems from the October 14, 2015, police firing on unarmed protesters demonstrating against the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari. Two protesters were killed, following which the then SAD-BJP government faced a huge backlash from opposition parties. Sampla is the first BJP leader to be summoned in the case.