Panel probing sacrilege cases finalises report

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 20

Set up to probe sacrilege cases in Punjab in 2015, the Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) Commission has finalised its report on the incidents in Faridkot district.

In a letter to the state DGP, Justice Ranjit Singh has asserted that the commission has finalised its report with regard to two FIRs registered in October 2015 and other related cases of sacrilege, which took place in Faridkot district.

In the letter received by the DGP office, Justice Ranjit Singh added that the commission had recorded certain findings in this regard and made recommendations. It would, as such, be appropriate that the findings and the recommendations made by the commission were kept in view by any investigating agency carrying out further investigation of the two FIRs on incidents in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan village.

The communication was shot off by Justice Ranjit Singh after newspaper reports indicated that investigations in FIRs registered on October 14 and 21, 2015, had been transferred to the SIT headed by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Ferozepur.

The letter was sent a month after the commission recommended the transfer of the two FIRs to an independent body, such as the special investigating team headed by DIG RS Khatra.

The recommendation was made after the commission took note of the “unacceptable” nature of probe, apparently to protect cops, in the FIRs registered in October 2015, after the death of two persons.

In his letter to the DGP, Justice Ranjit Singh had asserted that meaningful, fair and proper investigation was not possible by the Faridkot district police. They had purposely and, perhaps, intentionally not carried out investigation, which could be to help the police officers involved in the cases.

About four months after the commission wrote to the state government on “bullet tampering”, the commission has also received opinion indicating that the weapon used was an AK-47.

The commission had earlier written to the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory to express its opinion whether the “jacket to bullet” was fired from self-loading rifles (SLR) or assault rifle AK-47.

The policemen deployed at Behbal Kalan village in October 2015 were carrying both SLR and AK-47.