Chandigarh: Justice Ranjit Singh Commission today handed over first part of its probe report to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. The commission was tasked to hold a probe into various beadbi incidents across the states and related incidents, especially Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and Bargari beadbi incidents and police firing at Behbal Kalan village.
The contents of the report along with its findings are not made public. Justice (Retd.) Ranjit Singh, who headed the one man commission, said that it was first of four parts of his report and remaining three parts of the report will be submitted later.
It is notable that the commission was appointed by Capt. Amarinder Singh government in April 2017 and it was given six months time to complete the report. The term of the commission was extended afterwards.
A press release issued by the Punjab Government is being reproduced in verbatim for the information of readers of Sikh Siyasat News:-
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CHIEF MINISTER’S OFFICE, PUNJAB
JUSTICE (RETD) RANJIT SINGH SUBMITS 1ST SET OF PROBE FINDINGS IN SACRILEGE CASES TO PUNJAB CM
FINDINGS WITH FINAL REPORT ON BEHBAL KALAN, BARGARHI & CERTAIN OTHER CASES FORWARDED TO HOME SECY, AG
CM DIRECTS TIME-BOUND EXAMINATION OF THE REPORT TO ENSURE JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS
Chandigarh, June 30
Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh Commission has submitted to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh his final report on the critical Bargari sacrilege incident and the Behbal Kalan firing incident, along with some other important cases, as part of his first set of its probe findings.
The Chief Minister has forwarded the report to the state Home Secretary and the Advocate General to examine the findings, in a time-bound manner, and suggest action so that the guilty can be brought to book at the earliest.
The Commission was set up in April 2017 by the Captain Amarinder Singh led Congress government to investigate the various incidents of sacrilege of the holy Guru Granth Sahib and other religious texts after rejecting as `inconclusive’ the findings of the Zora Singh Commission set up by the erstwhile SAD-BJP government.
Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh met the Chief Minister at his official residence on Saturday afternoon and submitted the detailed first set of findings in a sealed envelope. The findings contained the final report of the Commission into the incidents of sacrilege at Village Burj Jawahar Singh Wala, Bargari, Gurusar and Mallke, as well as the firing incident of Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura.
Giving details, an official spokesperson said the Chief Minister had assured that those found guilty of trying to create religious disharmony in the state through such actions would be punished.
The Chief Minister, meanwhile, also congratulated the SIT for the arrest, earlier this month, of four men suspected to sacrilege incidents in Faridkot. The SIT of Punjab Police arrested the four Dera Sacha Sauda followers while investigating the 3-year-old sacrilege incidents at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and Bargari villages of Faridkot.
The Chief Minister expressed the hope that the arrests would help the CBI, which is probing the cases, in completing its investigations so that justice could finally be meted out to the victims and the guilty could be punished.
Captain Amarinder Singh made it clear that his government, which had promised a fair probe into all incidents of sacrilege, would take the matter to its logical conclusion. Nobody trying to polarise the state on communal lines would be spared, he warned.
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About Bargari Beadbi Incident, Behbal Kalan Firing and Commissions of Inquiries Setup in this Matter :
Bargari Beadbi Incident: A saroop of Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from village Burj Jawahar Singh Wala on June 01, 2015. After which some posters were pasted in that village challenging Sikhs to find the stolen Saroops. On October 12, 2015 Beadbi of Guru Granth Sahib was committed in Bargari village and it is believed that the culprits committed beadbi of Saroop that was stolen from village Burj Jawahar Singh Wala.
Police Firing at Behbal Kalan:
On October 14, 2015 the Punjab police had opened fire Sikh sangat staging a sit-in on a local road leading to Behbal Kalan village on Kotkapura-Bathinda road. Two Sikhs namely Bhai Gurjeet Singh of Sarawan village and Bhai Krishan Bhagwan Singh of Niamiwala village were killed in this firing while several other Sikhs were injured. The Sikh protesters were demanding action against culprits of Beadbi of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari.
Justice Zora Singh Commission:
The then Punjab government led Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and BJP government had formed a commission led by Justice Zora Singh to probe the incident. The commission had submitted its report on July 2016 but it failed to find the culprits of Beadbi incident at Bargari or those responsible for police firing at Behbal Kalan village.
Justice Ranjit Singh Commission:
After assuming power in Punjab, the Congress party government led by Capt. Amarinder Singh announced to scrap the report submitted by Justice Zora Singh and announced to form another commission led by Justice Ranjit Singh. The commission was appointed in April 2017 and it was required to submit its report with in six month but the commission submitted one of four parts of its report on June 30, 2018.
People’s Commission Led by Justice Markandey Katju:
Various human rights groups of Punjab had formed a ‘people’s commission’ led by former Supreme Court of India (SCI) judge Markandey Katju. Justice Katju commission had held the high-ups in Punjab police as responsible for the police firing at Behbal Kalan. But People’s Commission’s report was neither recognised by the SAD (Badal) government nor by Capt. Amarinder Singh led Congress government.
EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNTS: