2015 Kotkapura firing: SAD chief Sukhbir Badal appears before Punjab Police SIT

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was the deputy chief minister and holding the home portfolio when incidents of desecration of religious texts and the subsequent police firing at people protesting against it had taken place in Faridkot in 2015.

Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday appeared before a special investigation team of the Punjab Police probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case. Badal reached the Punjab Police Officers' Institute here at around 11:40 am, official sources said. The SIT led by Additional Director General of Police L K Yadav had summoned SAD chief Badal to appear before the probe team on Monday.

Badal was the deputy chief minister and holding the home portfolio when incidents of desecration of religious texts and the subsequent police firing at people protesting against it had taken place in Faridkot in 2015. The incidents relate to the theft of a 'bir' (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters, and torn pages of the holy book being found scattered at Bargari in Faridkot.

These incidents had triggered protests and two persons -- Gurjeet Singh and Kishan Bhagwan Singh--were killed in Behbal Kalan and few injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot in police firing. Badal had earlier been questioned by the same SIT on September 14. He was questioned by the SIT on June 26 last year too.

The SAD chief was also grilled by another SIT, led by Inspector General of Police Naunihal Singh, in the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing case on September 6. While the Yadav-led SIT is probing the Kotkapura firing case, the Naunihal-led SIT is investigating the Behbal Kalan firing incident. (PTI)