As Parkash Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal are again on target of Sikhs in the episode of Guru Granth Sahib’s sacrilege following Punjab and Haryana High Court’s move of quashing Kotakapura police firing’s probe conducted by SIT, IT cell of the honchos of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has turned very active to defend them.
Apart from various official social media handles, several fake handles have surfaced, which are seen favouring the Badals in this episode in which their role is under the scanner. This cell is also targeting Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu and some other politicians who are raising the issue and seeking justice for the Sikhs.
Though the HC’s decision has given Badals’ respite from the legal point of view, the harsh response given by the masses over this has increased their worries. The masses have expressed disappointment over the quashing of a probe conducted by IG Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh-led SIT, which was being considered the hope for the Sikhs in getting justice.
Besides, Badals are getting press statements issued from various party leaders. On Friday, another statement was issued by Daljit Singh Cheema, right hand of the Badals. He said, “the conspiracy hatched by the Congress government to defame the SAD had been exposed with the quashing of the investigation carried out by the State in the Kotkapura police firing case, and it has been proved conclusively that the Congress party had misused the issue for petty political gains.”
“Four years have been wasted in indulging in a political vendetta against the SAD. Crores of public money have been wasted, with Rs 5.50 crore being wasted giving out handsome amounts to private lawyers by the Advocate General. A malicious and biased investigation was also conducted by former SIT head Kunwar Vijay Pratap to implicate senior SAD leaders in the case, but despite misusing all resources at its command, the Congress government could not prove the involvement of a single SAD leader in any case”, he said.
He said, “Earlier during the SAD-led government, the Congress, as well as self-seeking organizations aligned with it, demanded a CBI inquiry into the case. He said the case was forwarded to the CBI, but when the Congress government came into power, it fought bitterly to get the case back from the CBI to fulfill its ulterior motives”.
“It is clear that the cops opened fires at the peaceful Sikh protesters during SAD government. Sukhbir Badal was the home minister of Punjab at that time and in charge of law and order. His father was chief minister. So, both are culprits, and this face does not need any evidence”, said a Sikh scholar.
