Former Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini and suspended Inspector General of Police (IG) Paramraj Singh Umranangal have been named in Behbal Kalan firing incident as accused by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the police firing incident of October 14, 2015.
The two have been named as accused in the first information report (FIR) in the Behbal Kalan case registered at Bajakhana police station under the charges of attempt to murder, arms act and conspiracy.
The SIT claimed that both the police officers have been found “prima facie guilty” in this case on the basis of documentary evidence and the statement of witnesses.
Already, Moga’s former Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Charanjit Singh Sharma, two SP rank police officers and many other police officials were named as accused in this case related to murder and attempt to murder. It has been learnt that even though Saini and Unmranangal have been accused of criminal conspiracy, the SIT would not arrest them immediately as the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the SIT to give them a seven-day notice before initiating action against them in the police firing cases.
Now, the SIT is expected to issue notices to Saini and Umranangal soon.
Notably, only a week back, a policeman, who is the prime accused in the firing incident, had turned approver.
The Faridkot local court, on September 15, allowed the SIT’s application seeking pardon to inspector Pardeep Singh, who was the then reader of former Moga SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma.
Pardeep Singh, in his statement before the court, had claimed that the then DGP Saini and IGP Umranangal had issued instruction to former SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma to end the protesters dharna at Behbal Kalan at any cost; and to end this protest, Charanjit Singh Sharma and his team members allegedly used brutal force in which two protesters were killed and many other were injured.
SIT member IGP?Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh had also submitted in the Faridkot court that the then DGP Saini and suspended IGP?Umranangal were the main conspirators in the Behbal Kalan firing incident.
Two Sikh youth — Gurjeet Singh of Sarawan village and Krishan Bhagwan Singh of Niamiwala village — had died in the police firing on October 14, 2015, while protesting against the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib. Besides, many people were seriously injured in the incident.
A week after, an FIR was registered on October 21 at Bajakhana police station under Section 302, 307, 34 of IPC and 25, 27, 54, 59 of Arms Act.
