SAD-BJP delegation meets Punjab governor to lodge protest against ‘false implication’ in 2015 Faridkot police firing

Chandigarh: A joint SAD-BJP delegation on Sunday met Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore, accusing the SIT of implicating SAD leaders in false cases linked to the 2015 police firing incidents in Faridkot. The delegation comprised Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Punjab BJP president Shwait Malik among others. The delegation submitted a memorandum to Badnore and urged him to “safeguard the democracy and democratic institutions by directing the Congress government in Punjab to put an end to the politically motivated and vendetta-driven probes and ensure no elected member is implicated in false cases”, said SAD in a statement. [caption id=“attachment_2760948” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. AFP[/caption] According to SAD’s statement, Badal told the governor that “the Congress government was politicising the unfortunate incidents of firing which occurred in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan (in 2015).” He said the SIT constituted last year “initiated a witch hunt against Akali leaders and started conspiring to implicate them in false cases”. He told the governor that former Kotkapura legislator Mantar Singh Brar has already been made accused “in one such false case despite the fact that he was only performing his duty as an elected representative when the unfortunate incident took place in 2015”. “Wrong inferences are being deduced and the SIT is claiming that he (Mantar) was pressurising officers and stopping them from doing their duty," Badal told the governor. The delegation members alleged that SIT was indulging in a pre-determined and biased investigation aimed at settling scores with the top Akali leadership. Stating that the SAD-BJP was in favour of a speedy and impartial probe into the 2015 firing incidents, the delegation told governor “we urge you to direct the state government to get both incidents probed by an independent investigating agency, monitored by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court”. BJP state president Shwait Malik alleged the Congress government has initiated “the vendetta exercise in desperation because it had lost popular support after failing to implement any of its promises to the people”. The delegation members also included Union minister and BJP leader Vijay Sampla, senior SAD leaders Charanjit Singh Atwal, Tota Singh, MP Prem Singh Chandumajra  and Maheshinder Singh Grewal. The SAD on Thursday had said it would boycott the special investigation team (SIT), probing the 2015 police firings in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan at mobs protesting   the incidents of desecration of guru Grant Sahib in the state. SAD has alleged that the SIT was following the footsteps of the Ranjit Singh Commission and implementing the mandate of the Congress party to implicate the SAD leaders.