Chandigarh, August 28: Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has been named in the supplementary report of the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission for his “apparent involvement” in the police action on anti-sacrilege protesters at Kotkapura about three years ago.
The supplementary report, submitted on August 16, after the report had been leaked and the government drew flak over not naming the Badals as accused, now says, “…earlier the commission had in its report observed that the facts might indicate the involvement of the CMO, but it is now clear that the Chief Minister and the CMO were apparently kept in the loop about the action proposed by the police and the action finally taken at Kotkapura. This supplementary report may be read in conjunction with the findings and observations recorded by the Commission from pages 50-55”.
The Capt Amarinder Singh government on Monday accepted the supplementary report of the Justice Ranjit Singh commission.
In the action taken report, this recommendation of the Commission has been accepted. The action taken report says, “Since it has already been decided to refer the matter to the CBI, the investigation agency shall also ascertain whether any act of omission and commission was committed by any other person.”
Earlier, flashing the leaked Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report, SAD MLAs on Monday held a protest demonstration outside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha ahead of the tabling of the report in the Assembly. Dramatic scenes were witnessed with the SAD legislators sitting on a dharna after being disallowed to take the copies of the leaked commission report inside the House.
Former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal even flashed the Action Report on the commission even before its tabling in the House. And in order to highlight what they claim leakage of the commission report before it was tabled, the SAD members organised a unique protest demonstration.
The leaders set up “shop” for selling the report which, leaders led by Bikram Singh Majithia, said was freely available and thus was a breach of privilege of the House. Akali leaders also scattered copies of the report outside the Vidhan Sabha and later sat on dharna outside the main gate of the Vidhan Sabha after they were stopped from taking the copies of the report inside.
The Akali Dal MLAs accused the Congress government of being hand-in-glove with radicals and being responsible for attacks on Manjit Singh GK in the US on Sunday.
Just as the commission report was tabled by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra, Akali members staged a walkout. A debate on the report will be held tomorrow. All four parts of the report, including the action taken, have been tabled in the House.
Two Sikh activists were killed in clashes with the police at Behbal Kalan village, 11 km from Kotakpura, during a protest against the Bargari sacrilege in October 2015.
Source Tribune India
