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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Behbal Kalan firing case and alleged that the probe was being used to settle political scores instead of identifying the real culprits.
Speaking to reporters before joining the investigation, Badal said he had appeared before the SIT every time he was summoned and questioned the delay in completing the probe. "Today is the fourth time I have been called. Every time I have been called, I have reached. Because my aim as president of Akali Dal is that in any investigation, the real culprits should be caught. But here, SIT is not formed to catch the culprits. SIT has been formed to fight a political battle. Eleven years have passed, and till now SIT has not completed the investigation..." he said. Earlier on July 16, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said he would cooperate with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 2015 Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura police firing incidents, while alleging that the case was being used for political purposes rather than justice. Speaking to reporters on the SIT summons directing him to appear before the investigation team, Badal said, "We will surely go no matter how many times they call us. This is politics, not justice." The summons comes as the SIT continues its probe into the police firing incidents linked to the 2015 sacrilege cases, in which two protesters were killed and several others injured during demonstrations in Punjab's Faridkot district. According to sources, the SIT has called Badal for questioning following the statement of former Union minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Sampla. During his deposition before the investigation team, Sampla reportedly questioned the authenticity of his signature on a memorandum submitted to the Punjab Governor along with Sukhbir Singh Badal in connection with the sacrilege incidents. Investigators are also examining the sequence of events leading up to the police action against protesters in October 2015. Statements of former officials and political leaders have been recorded as part of the ongoing probe to establish accountability in the case. The Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing incidents occurred during protests over the alleged desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015. The case has remained under investigation for over a decade, with successive SITs, judicial proceedings and legal challenges. (ANI)
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