Punjab CM accuses CBI of trying to ‘subvert’ course of justice in 2015 sacrilege incidents

Chandigarh, March 6

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday accused the Central Bureau of Investigation of trying to “subvert” the course of justice in the 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents by deciding to file a review petition against a Supreme Court decision.

Last month, the apex court had dismissed a CBI plea challenging a 2019 Punjab and Haryana High Court order in which it had refused to interfere with the Punjab government’s decision to take back all sacrilege cases from the central probe agency.

Following the order, Singh had announced in the state assembly that a special investigation team (SIT) of the Punjab Police would take over the probe into the incidents of desecration of religious texts and police firing.

The CBI has intimated the special judicial magistrate, Mohali, of its intent to file the review petition in the Supreme Court against its February 20 order by which the apex court had dismissed the central agency’s special leave petitions, a government statement said here.

Taking strong exception to this, the chief minister alleged that the central agency is doing this at the behest of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), part of the NDA government.

Not only is the CBI’s decision to move a review petition a “blatant attempt to delay” the investigation further, it is a “clear endorsement of the Akali involvement” in the incident that had shaken Punjab in 2015, Singh said in the statement.

With this, the Akalis have clearly proven their “involvement in the entire ugly affair”, he added.

The SAD, however, dubbed the chief minister’s accusations as “bundle of lies” and asked him to request the chief justice of India to depute a sitting judge to probe the sacrilege incidents, if Singh was really serious about delivering justice.

SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said the chief minister cannot cover his own government’s “failure” in giving justice in the sacrilege case with baseless and “mischievous statements”.

Expressing his faith in the judiciary, the chief minister, however, said he is confident the courts will give the much-needed closure and justice to the victims in the case.

Singh said the CBI has “failed” to make any headway in its investigation for years—a fact duly noted and recorded by the court during hearings in the matter.

The “entire drama” of filing a closure report, refusing to give its copy to the state government and then taking a U-turn after nearly two months, was “enacted” by the CBI on directions of the Akalis, who did not want the truth to come out, he alleged.

By using such “cheap tactics”, the Akalis might be able to buy some more time but they cannot evade justice forever, he added.

The previous SAD-BJP government had handed over three sacrilege cases—theft of a ‘bir’ (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib from a Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara on June 1, 2015; putting up of hand-written sacrilegious posters in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala on September 25, 2015; and torn pages of the holy book being found at Bargari on October 12, 2015 in Faridkot—to the CBI.

The Punjab assembly, however, had passed a resolution in 2018, handing over the probe to the Punjab Police SIT in sacrilege incidents at Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala villages and police firing incidents at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura in Faridkot.

Two persons, who were part of the anti-sacrilege protests, were killed in the police firing at Behbal Kalan in 2015. PTI