Chandigarh: On the basis of a judicial panel’s report over the 2015 sacrilege incidents in the northern state, the ruling Congress and the AAP lawmakers today sought for charging former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with “murder”.
The report has indicated that the former Chief Minister was responsible for the brutal firings at the protesters at Kotakpura in Faridkot. The protesters were agitating against the sacrilege incidents. The reason for holding him responsible according to the report is that he was “aware” of the proposed police action to disperse the mob completely.
They also sought for slapping of murder charges against the former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and the then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini during a debate in the state assembly on Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report on the sacrilege incidents by citing the findings of the report.
The MLAs also sought for the withdrawing of the ongoing probe from the CBI and be handed over to the state police about the sacrilege incidents and the police firing at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan during the eight-hour-long debate that finished up in the late evening.
Some of the legislators went on to compare Badals with ‘Mughals and General Dyer’ by holding them “responsible for sacrilege incidents” for “permitting” the firing at the protesters at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in which at least two persons were killed in 2015.
The debate was initiated by Congress MLA Harminder Singh Gill who sought exemplary punishment for former Chief Minister Badal by holding him responsible for the grievous sacrilege incidents. The debate was done in the state assembly.
Mr. Gill went on to accuse some Dera followers of being behind the sacrilege incidents and asserted that the Badals were responsible for granting pardon to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the Dera Sacha Sauda Chief, in a blasphemy case due to the sacrilege incidents.
He showed photographs of Badals along with Dera head and Asaram Bapu.
However, a “mock session” was held by the Akali Dal and the BJP MLAs outside the House who protested against the “less time” being allotted to them to deliver a speech in this regard during the debate.
The Punjab Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhwa intervened into the debate who was also accused by Akalis for fabricating evidence in the given report by describing Parkash Singh Badal and his son as “traitors” of Sikh ‘panth’.
The incident of sacrilege took place during the tenure of Guru Granth Sahib, he said, while adding that “Badals proved to be the Mughals for Sikh Panth.”
“The CM and the Dy CM were directly involved in the sacrilege incidents as per the Commission report,” he said while seeking that they are booked for murders.
“Strict punishment should also be given to those police officials who opened fire at protesters,” he said.
He also sought for custodial interrogation of former Special Secretary to CM Gagandeep Brar.
AAP MLA and former Leader of Opposition H S Phoolka participated in the discussion and sought for the prosecution of Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for the alleged role played by his followers in the sacrilege incidents.
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