2015 Bargari Sacrilege Case: Former DGP to appear before SIT in Chandigarh
Nov 29, 2022
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], November 29 : A week after receiving a summon to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT), former Director General of Police Sumedh Saini is scheduled to confront the agency on Tuesday.
The SIT had issued summons to the ex-DGP in connection with the 2015 incident of firing by the police in Punjab's Kotkpaura which allegedly killed two persons who were protesting against the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari.
The SIT team, headed by its chief LK Yadav, will be interrogating Sumedh Saini.
As per the sources, this inquiry by the SIT is likely to bring forth the answers to many questions such as, who ordered to open fire at protestors and also if there was any role of then Home Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Previously, Saini was also issued a summon in August where he was interrogated for nearly four hours at the SIT office in Sector 32 in Chandigarh.
In 2015, the incidents of sacrilege occurred between June to October following the theft of the sacred Guru Granth Sahib from a Gurudwara in Burj Jawaharsinghwala, Faridkot, and the discovery of torn pages from the Holy Book in Bargari, Faridkot.
The incidents caused widespread discontent and outrage amongst members of the Sikh community and there were demonstrations from place to place. A similar demonstration was taking place on October 14 in Bahibal Kalan, a village near Bargari, where the police, that arrived to remove the protesters, opened fire and two people died in it.
Although the families of both the deceased have received compensation of Rs 90 lakh each in the case, they have been demanding punishment for the culprits.
