Chandigarh: Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has been held responsible in the Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh Commission report on the 2015 sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib and the subsequent firing in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan.
The report, which was tabled in the Punjab assembly on Monday, was prepared by the one-man commission that was set up in April 2017 by the Congress government to investigate various incidents of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib and other religious texts.
The report stated that it was clear that “Parkash Singh Badal wasn’t only in touch with district administration, but was in touch with DGP as well, and was quite aware of the situation developing at Kotkapura and also about the proposed action by the police", ANI reported.
It added, “Sufficient material is available with the commission that when the district administration was asked to speak to the then DGP, he had conveyed in no uncertain terms that they (district administration and the local MLA) should not bother much and that he will get the dharna site cleared within ten minutes."
The commission, while mentioning that it has given the former CM the chance to explain his stand, said the report also mentioned that the police had kept Badal in the loop while taking action to lift the dharna by Sikhs protesting against the sacrilege.
Punjab former CM Parkash Singh Badal indicted in the Justice Ranjit Singh (Retd) Commission Report tabled in Punjab assembly today on 2015 case of Bargari Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege & Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing that followed it. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/0rLTgUq5tJ — ANI (@ANI) 27 August 2018
Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report states, "It's clear that Parkash Singh Badal wasn't only in touch with district administration, but was in touch with DGP as well, & was quite aware of the situation developing at Kot Kapura & also about the proposed action by the police" pic.twitter.com/QXtYG7ODO1 — ANI (@ANI) 27 August 2018
On October 12, 2015, torn pages of the Guru Granth Sahib were found in Bargari village in Faridkot district. In the protests that followed, two Sikh men died in police firing in Behbal Kalan village on October 14, while one person suffered bullet injuries and several others were hurt in the lathi-charge by police at Kotkapura.
Protesting against the report, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal described it as "waste paper", saying the report “has no sanctity". He alleged it was prepared at the residence of chief minister Amarinder Singh, accusing the Congress of defaming the Akalis by blaming them for the sacrilege incidents.
SAD MLA Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that Amarinder Singh, Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh and Sikh preachers Baljit Singh Daduwal - parallel jathedar of Damdama Sahib - and Dhian Singh Mand - acting jathedar of Akal Takht in 2015 - had "colluded" to prepare the report. He blamed Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI for the sacrilege incidents.
(With PTI inputs)
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