Sukhbir ignores SIT’s summon in Kotkapura firing case, instead appears in Zira court

Sukhbir’s party, the Shiromani Akali Dal, on the other hand, stated that its chief had not been issued any summons by the SIT to appear in the Kotkapura firing case, but was ready to cooperate in the probe.

Badal, who was the Deputy Chief Minister and also held the Home Affairs portfolio, when the firing incident took place in 2015, had been asked by the SIT to appear at Punjab Police Officers’ Institute here with relevant records.

On Tuesday, the SAD chief’s counsel Gurbachan Singh Gill while talking to mediapersons, said ,”In the past, permission had been sought by Sukhbir for going abroad. The Zira court then had stated that Sukhbir needed to personally appear before it before the next date of hearing, August 31. Hence, Sukhbir appeared in court a day early as per the directions of court.”

Sukhbir has been accused of blocking the Zira Highway on December 7-8, 2017, to protest against what the SAD claims was the Congress’ deliberate attempt to obstruct and prevent its candidates from filing their nominations for the Mallanwala Nagar Council elections. The incident had led to a brief clash between the workers of SAD and those of the Congress. Sukhbir, along with his supporters, had staged a dharna near Harrike headworks on the Zira Highway for two days to protest against the incident and demand the cancellation of FIRs lodged against SAD party leaders. The police had later booked Sukhbir, and 100 others, for blocking a National Highway.

Sources in the SAD said that Sukhbir was scheduled to meet Punjab Governor on Wednesday, and hence had sought exemption from personal appearance in court. However, he still appeared in court on Tuesday.

Later, while addressing his supporters on Tuesday after his court appearance, Sukhbir asked Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to stop false propaganda . He alleged that paid news campaigns were being run by the AAP.

The SAD president, who also addressed a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (Disha) meeting after his court appearance on Tuesday, said, “The very fact that gangsters are openly threatening the state police chief is indicative of the failure of the Home Ministry in giving requisite orders to deal with such menace with a heavy hand. Never before were gangsters of Punjab so emboldened so as to be able to make such open threats”. He said the deteriorating law and order situation, which had led to a sharp increase in extortions, was also resulting in flight of capital from the state.

Sukhbir also came down heavily on illegal mining, which he claimed was taking place across the state unabated. He said illegal mining was being patronised by the AAP government and that this scam was similar to the state’s Rs 500 crore excise scam. “The state exchequer is being looted of hundreds of crores by AAP functionaries, who are hand-in-glove with the mining mafia.”
At the Disha meeting, the SAD chief asked the district Deputy Commissioner to hold an inquiry into the misuse of MGNREGA funds by Congress legislators and their cronies. He said that Congressmen had established their own factories to manufacture interlocking tiles and got the government to purchase sub-standard tiles at high rates from factories.

Clarify if summons were issued: Sukhbir

The SAD chief on Tuesday also asked the SIT to clarify whether summons for his appearance before the probe team, being circulated in the media, was issued by it.

Shiromani Akali Dal leader and spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler on Tuesday said Badal had not been served summons “personally”.

“Thee summons are being circulated on electronic and social media that Sukhbir Badal has been asked to appear before the SIT in the Kotkapura firing case. However, the summons has not been served to Badal personally,” the

SAD spokesperson claimed.
Kler said the SAD chief has written to the SIT to clarify whether the summons has been issued by it.
“If it (summons) has been issued by the SIT, then it should give us a next date and we are ready to cooperate in the probe,” he said.
The SIT, probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident, had earlier questioned former director general of police Sumedh Singh Saini here.

(With inputs from PTI)