SIT charge sheet in Kotkapura firing case persecution, not prosecution: Akali Dal

Chandigarh, Feb 25 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday termed the charge sheet filed against its President Sukhbir Singh Badal in the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case as persecution and not prosecution and announced to contest the premeditated fabricated move legally as well as in the people's court.

The SAD leadership, which addressed the media here, also warned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann not to do politics on this sensitive issue, saying that the AAP government had filed the blatantly vindictive charge sheet to hide its failures on all fronts.

"SAD will explore all options, including filing a contempt of court case, as guidelines given by the high court while setting aside the report of former I.G. Kunwar Vijay Pratap have been violated. No case is made out against Sukhbir Singh Badal who was out of the state and can in no manner whatsoever be termed as a mastermind as has been done in the charge sheet," the party said.

The party also noted that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief L.K. Yadav as well as other officers had acted in a partisan manner purely to fulfil the political directive of their 'masters'.

SAD leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra, Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Daljit Singh Cheema said the government had belied its intentions in advance. "Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan made a public announcement that the SIT led by L.K. Yadav would file a challan before February 28.

"Cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal also assured protesters at Behbal Kalan that the name of Sukhbir Singh Badal would be included in the challan filed by the SIT. The AAP leaders made these announcements despite the fact that the high court had directed the SIT to present its challan to the court in a sealed envelope.

"The AAP government is duty-bound to disclose how a sealed report was made available to the AAP leadership and was also leaked to the media?"

The leaders said the chief minister also posted the contents of the report on social media. Terming these developments as a deliberate attempt to mislead Punjabis and a diversionary tactic, the SAD leaders said the chief minister would have to answer for this abuse of power.

The leaders said enough was enough and now SAD would not sit idle and allow AAP to defame the party. "The party will take this defamatory exercise head on and expose this corrupt government which is trying to hide its failures on the law and order front, including the total breakdown of the state machinery in the Ajnala police station attack case."

SAD also noted that the government was trying to divert attention from the constitutional crisis which had been created in the state due to the clash with the Governor.