CHANDIGARH, Punjab— On March 26, the one-membered People’s Commission, headed by former Supreme Court Justice, Sri Markanday Katju, released an interim report on the Behbal Kalan police shootings. The commission was appointed by human rights organizations to investigate the Behbal Kalan shootings. On October 14, 2015, the police had fired upon peacefully protesting Sikhs, killing two Sikh youth. The incident took place when Sikhs had gathered at the village to protest against the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Senior leader of Aam Admi Party, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, warmly welcomed the report and said he sought strict punishment for the police officers named in it. He said that the Punjab government should make public the call records of police officers who ordered the police to fire on the peacefully protesting Sikhs. Khaira said that Chief Minister Badal was responsible for hiding the names of the officers responsible for the shooting in the FIR. He said he was surprised that the police were not able to find the officers responsible. He also emphasized the need to publicize the CCTV footage of the incident, which was taken into possession by the police at the time.
Former Chief Minister of Punjab and Congress leader, Bibi Rajinder Kaur Bhathal, strongly favored the report of Justice Markanday Katju. Addressing a media conference at Lehragaga, Bibi Rajinder Kaur Bhathal said that the report of the Katju Commission has unveiled the truth behind the tragedy. She said that the Punjab government should immediately indict the police officers responsible for opening fire on the peacefully protesting Sikh activists. She added that the Punjab government should also apologize to the families of the victims of the Behbal Klan shooting incident for the delay in achieving justice.
On the other hand, Akali MP Prem Singh Chandimajra stated that the report published by Justice Markanday Katju in his personal investigation can’t be relied upon. He added that the Punjab government was waiting for the report of the official investigation of the case, being carried out by retired Justice Zora Singh. Khaira claims that the Justice Zora Singh commission was created to deceive the masses. He asserted that Badal was an expert in getting clean chits from probing commissions, citing the example of the AN Jindal commission probe into the book scam during the tenure of Sikandar Singh Maluka.
Justice Zora Singh was appointed by the Punjab Government to investigate the killings. The Zora Singh Commission visited Faridkot and Moga in February 2015, asking the witnesses to come to Chandigarh with their affidavits. Some of the witnesses identified police officers who they said kicked and abused protestors. They included Moga SSP Charanjit Sharma (suspended after the incident), SP Harjit Singh Pannu, SP Bikramjit Singh, Deputy SP Jagdish Bishnoi, Bajakhana SHO Amarjit Singh Kular, and Jaito SHO Dalbir Singh. Eye-witnesses also stated that SSP Sharma of Moga opened fire up to a distance of 20 feet and even kicked women protesters. SSP Sharma was transferred but never charged.
I am with you let us aspire for a Dream Police service.
The people of Punjab need nothing than the best.
“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” John Lennon.
Yes we must have Police which responds to the need of people of Punjab .
We need a
“GOOD POLICE FORCE “
I despair with you ‘Harinder’. I have given you reasons in depth as to why it should be a police ‘service’ and not a ‘force’ and you still just don’t get it other than to prove the ‘Captain Obvious’ appellation given to you by Random Joeginder (neat moniker BTW) by stating we need a ‘GOOD POLICE FORCE’. Who in Punjab exactly wants a ‘Bad’ Police ‘Force’? Oh, I forgot your Badals and their Hinduvta puppet-masters. The Punjab Police is a barrel of bad apples which will eventually spoil the few good ones still left. Need to empty the barrel (pension off the top three ranks and offer rewards / amnesties within a specified time frame to police officers prepared to come forward and incriminate their fellow officers who have committed crimes) to save the few honest policemen left and reinforce them with fresh recruits who have not been contaminated by culture of brutal force and corruption against Punjabis, particularly the Sikhs.
The People of Punjab need to decide what kind of Police they need.
What kind of powers and crowd control method they want police to have.
We need to have a police that protects us .
A police that protects and serves the public trust and not the politician’s peccadilloes is what we need. A Police ‘service’ not a police ‘force’ that upholds the law even against its own officers and is entirely focused on justice being done and being seen to be done in a timely fashion. the police is not there to ‘control’ the public as you put it and they certainly do not have the right to do whatever they want in the blanket name of ‘protecting’ us extending that to ‘even against ourselves’. every single bullet fired has to be accounted for and justified just like it is in the UK where if a policeman shoot he is immediately suspended pending an independent police complaints inquiry which determines whether that officer should be prosecuted. that puts a reservation in the policeman’s mind which stops him being cavalier about the power entrusted in to his hands if he knows for certain that his actions will be questioned. you cannot have a situation in a democracy where police can open fire whenever they like upon anyone they like then disappear with full police and political connivance until ‘the fuss all blows over’ and it’s then back to business as usual. the Punjab police are guilty of committing gross dereliction of duty, corruption and extra judicial behaviours which need to be addressed both from past crimes and present to give confidence to the Punjabi people that we no longer living in a police state. We have situation in Punjab today where if you are driving and you see an accident on the side of the road you have to think seriously about puling over and calling for the police as the police are just as likely to accuse you of the crime as soon as they arrive unless you are prepared to pay an on the spot bribe unless of course you are related to someone in the police or have a connection politically to help you out. That is wrong. The first response of police should not be to intimidate and incriminate but investigate – they should certainly not be encouraged as you would have it to just use slightly less lethal force (rubber bullets kill and maim just as effectively as live rounds, ask Palestinians and Irish people shot with such munitions) as a first resort. At present Sikhs do not have a police that protects us but rather shoots us dead in the street and then get off scot free. That is not normal democracy, even white police officers in the US who shoot black civilians have nowadays to be put immediately under close media, civil liberties organisations as well as legal scrutiny to judge whether they were in the right to do so. And just as they say in the US that black lives matter (in response to increased levels of police killings of black Americans) Sikh lives matter too.
Thanks Captain Obvious once again. Did you get that feom your brother Captain Hindsight? You’re saying that the people currently and in the past didn’t want or need police protection. Now all of the sudden People of Punjab need to decide what kind of police they want? As if you can just go to the supermarket and pick the police needed and it will be a successful purchase. Give your head a shake mad man. There should be one kind of police and that is democracy oriented police. Oh wait, nevermind. In order for that to happen then, “hindu”stan needs to become a democratic country. What? It is a democratic country you say? Thats a good joke.
Police experts need to analyze and prevent loss of innocent lives.
1) They need new and safer methods of crowd control like rubber bullets , water canons etc etc
2) Use of live bullets should only be allowed after Senior officer permission.
3) Warnings and adequate time should be issued before use of live bullets.
4) Graded system of response should be used for a violent mob.
Rest Police expert can decide and Implement.
This was NOT a violent mob! As for using safer methods – rubber bullets?! Water canons on peaceful protesters?! You really have no clue about civil rights and the responsibility of police to respect protest do you. The police duty is to TALK first and use any violent action as a total last resort when they have lost control and there is a clear and present danger to loss of life which of course they would not be as cameras and smartphones would give a lie to such a claim by police these days. And again you make zero comment on the findings that these policemen who have at the very least been guilty of unlawful killing if not outright murder should be arrianged and prosecuted immediately. They won’t be because they will tell who gave them the order to open fire and that nasty little trail goes all the way back to the Badals themselves who are protecting these police murderers.
Rubber bullets, water cannons, live rounds for peaceful protesters????? Are you that blood thirsty for innocents blood???
As far as methods and system protocols go, contrary to popular belief, india actually has decent laws written in a book collecting dust somewhere. Dont laugh, I am being totally serious. There actually is laws in that godless country. It is just that nobody follows it.