Behbal Kalan firing case: Amarinder Singh rejects SIT report giving clean chit to Akali Dal leaders, calls it 'partial investigation'

Ferozepur: A single challan submitted in the court was erroneously interpreted to mean that the Akalis were innocent in the Behbal Kalan firing case, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh said on Monday. He also rejected the reports of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that gave a clean chit to the Akali leadership in the matter. Speaking to media persons, Singh asserted that the investigation by the SIT was still in progress and that it would be filing more challans to supplement the one it had filed so far against a single police officer. “How can a partial investigation and a single challan be considered to give clean chit to the Akalis,” he asked. He further accused media of twisting the information. [caption id=“attachment_5502571” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh. AFP[/caption] The chief minister also reiterated that once the probe into the case was complete, anyone found guilty of involvement, howsoever high and mighty he might have been, would be punished as per law. He, however, said that he would not indulge in “political vendetta” to nail the Badals or anyone else in this case. In 2015, a case was filed against unidentified police officials at Bajakhana police station in Faridkot district after two persons were allegedly killed in the police firing during an anti-sacrilege protest. Later in August 2018, acting on the recommendations of the retired Justice Ranjit Singh Commission, the Punjab Police included names of four police personnel in the FIR. Names of Provincial Police Services (PPS) officers Charanjit Singh Sharma along with Bikramjit Singh, Pardip Singh and Amarjit Singh were added to the case following the directives of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. He also lambasted Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar over his comments about the Congress leadership in Punjab. “He does not have any locus standi to speak about matters relating to our state. Why does he not talk of Modi and the BJP in Haryana?” asked Captain. On being asked about the coalition of Aam Admi Party (AAP) with Congress in the state, he said: “The Congress is well positioned to sweep the Lok Sabha polls in the state on its own.” He also contended that BJP candidate from Gurdaspur Sunny Deol is just a fly-by-night candidate who would simply disappear. “Deol’s rally had been a total flop,” he said. Setting the narrative for the Lok Sabha elections in the state, he said: “My government has given loan relief and would continue to extend more support to the farmers as the state’s fiscal situation improves." “We will approach the Central government on the issue of crop damage due to unseasonal rains. We will not let the farmers suffer,” he said.