The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Thursday, November 23, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

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‘Send Central team to Punjab’
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 22 — A delegation of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, led by its President, Mr Amarinder Singh, today called on the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, and urged him to send a Central team to assess the law and order situation in the state.

Citing several cases, including the Bibi Jagir Kaur case, that have hit headlines in Punjab, the delegation said there was a threat to the security of the nation as the pro-Khalistan forces were once again raising their head.

Mr Amarinder Singh pointed out that Pakistan had supported openly the pro-Khalistan forces at the congregation in various gurdwaras in the neighbouring country recently and this should be taken serious note of.

The delegation wondered that when the Centre could send a Central team to West Bengal, which had had a stable government for the past two decades, there was no reason why their request should not be heeded to in the case of Punjab.

The Punjab delegation included the Leader of Opposition in the state, Mr Jagjit Singh, Ms Preneet Kaur, Mr G.S. Ghalib, Mr R.L. Bhatia, Ms Santosh Chaudhary, Mr Jagmit Brar, Mr Balbir Singh, Mr Surinder Singla, Mr H.S. Hanspal, Mr Lal Singh, Master Jagir Singh and Mr Sardul Singh.

Charging the Akali Dal with having a soft corner for the militant forces, the delegation in a memorandum to the Home Minister said the state Chief Minister himself had presented a memorandum to the United Nations Secretary-General for a separate state of Khalistan.

“It is difficult for the BJP, claiming to be ultra-nationalists, to live with the political compulsion of being in political alliance and sharing power with the Akali Dal...” the memorandum said.

The delegation claimed that there was growing lawlessness and politicisation of the police force in the state which was pushing the state towards the old situation of terrorists ruling the state.

The memorandum pointed out that they had raised the issue of murder of the daughter of Bibi Jagir Kaur and its probe by the CBI on the floor of the Lok Sabha. However, the BJP members, particularly the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan, had dismissed the contention saying it was a private matter of Bibi Jagir Kaur.

The memorandum highlighted apart from the Bibi Jagir Kaur case, the recent case of murder of Congress leader from Ferozepore district, Mr Harmesh Mukhija, the alleged involvement of Mr Gurdev Singh Badal’s son in a rape case, the murder of a leading Congress worker in a police station in Ferozepore, the Dilbagh Singh Daleke case, where the former Punjab Speaker’s land was allegedly taken by Akali leaders, and the Kundan Singh murder case.

The Congress leaders requested the Home Minister to institute a special team, headed by the Home Secretary, to visit the state to study the situation of lawlessness.

Badungar in race for top SGPC post
From Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, Nov 22 — The re-baptisation of Mr Kirpal Singh Badungar, Secretary, Shiromani Akali Dal, and OSD to the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib today has given clear indications that the (Mr Badungar) has joined the race for the coveted post of SGPC chief, election of which would be held on November 30 at Teja Singh Samundri Hall here.

Mr Badungar, who is also an SGPC member, had to undergo re-baptisation ceremony after the bypass surgery at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi last month. In religious terminology, this is called “sodhai” (purification) of a person who was already baptised. Inadvertently, some violation of “amrit” could be possible at the time of surgery, A baptised Sikh always take care of “sodhai” after the surgery.

The re-baptisation of Mr Badungar by Panj Pyaras (five beloved ones) at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, a few hours after the crucial meeting of the PAC of the SAD held at Chandigarh yesterday has given enough signal that the ruling SAD which has full control over the SGPC wanted to keep all options open.

Kamaljit’s house ‘under siege’
Bibi supporters threaten TV crew
From Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service

BEGOWAL (Kapurthala), Nov 22 — Hundreds of supporters of the SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur turned unruly and laid a siege to the house of Kamaljit Singh here when a Delhi-based TV crew went to shoot a film on the Harpreet Kaur death episode this evening.

The mob, comprising drunken youth, cornered the TV crew, when it went to Kamaljit’s house to interview him after taking a few shots of Bibi’s “dera” at around 6.30 p.m. The siege was still continuing till 10.30 p.m. in the evening in spite of the presence of senior police officers. Besides confining the team to Kamaljit’s house, slogan-shouting youth threatened the team with dire consequences if they failed to return tapes of Kamaljit’s interview. They also deflated and caused minor damage to the team’s vehicle.

The trouble started late in the evening when the TV crew, comprising of reporter Bhawna, cameraman Manoj Thakur, assistant Jyoti Ranjan and driver Ravi, of a private company making Doordarshan’s commissioned programme “Darasal” packed after shooting Bibi’s dera and proceed towards Kamaljit’s house to interview him and his family. “All of a sudden we found miscreants following us. However, we did not care. But the situation turned ugly when they started hurling abuses at us and demanding tapes from us,” said Bhawana, who was contacted on telephone after repeated efforts. “We are holed up here and the police is not doing much. The police officials who have been deputed inside Kamaljit’s house for family’s security are saying that they are responsible for security inside the house and could not do much unless somebody jumps in,” said frightened Bhawana adding that she had resolved not to give away tapes come what may.

Mob shouted slogans like “Bibi Jagir Kaur zindabad”, “Kamaljit murdabad” and the “Punjab police murdabad”.

Kamaljit’s sister, Manjit, said the mob was provoked when Jagir Kaur came to attend a marriage ceremony in the village and drunken people swarmed their house after that. Speaking on telephone from her house surrounded by mob, she said DSP Harmel Singh was present there but nothing was being done to save them from the slogan shouting people who were allegedly turning violent.

Bibi’s deposition ‘inconsistent’

NEW DELHI, Nov 22 (UNI) — The CBI decided to interrogate SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur for the second time within a week of her deposition in view of inconsistencies in her statement with the facts which have emerged during investigations into her daughter Harpreet Kaur’s murder case, agency sources said today.

Harpreet was allegedly murdered on April 20 this year in the custody of her mother. Seven persons, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief, have been named in the fir. Barring Bibi Jagir Kaur, all other accused are in judicial custody.

The agency is set to grill the SGPC President on Friday morning about its queries raised by the facts thrown up during the investigation subsequent to her questioning on November 17. Summons have already been sent to Bibi Jagir Kaur directing her to appear before the special investigation branch of the CBI.

The sources told UNI that certain content of her deposition did not tally with the findings of the investigators and hence her early questioning had become essential.

The SGPC chief had repeatedly told the CBI Deputy Inspector-General and the Superintendent of Police that she had no hand in the killing of her daughter and it was a conspiracy to malign her image. She reportedly said she would never commit the heinous act of murdering her own daughter.

Instead, she used to treat Harpreet as a “shahzaadi’’ (princess). “Harpreet was a minor and was misguided,’’ she had claimed.

Bibi Jagir Kaur is likely to be grilled at the special investigation cell on Dalhousie Road where she was questioned on various aspects of the case for more than three hours on Friday last. The sleuths had asked her several questions vital to the investigation of the murder case and also tried to reconstruct the events as per her examination.

About challenging the anticipatory bail granted to Bibi Jagir Kaur by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the agency sources said the issue was being examined by the legal wing and a final decision would soon be taken whether to approach the Supreme Court.