Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday, 6 September, released a CCTV footage, showing the police action on anti-sacrilege protesters at Kotkapura in 2015.
He also released statement of Dr Kulwinderpal Singh, who was allegedly asked by police officers to reach the Kotkapura hospital on 14 October 2015 for any "eventuality which might arise" because of “dharna” by the protesters.
Holding former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal responsible for firing at Kotkapura, Sidhu said both of them should be booked as there is "prima facie evidence" in the Justice (Retd) Ranjit Singh Commission's report, which probed sacrilege incidents to proceed against them.
Notably, the commission, whose report was tabled in the House last month, had held the police responsible for using force at the protesters in Kotkapura, while describing it as “unprovoked, unwarranted and uncalled.”
The footage was procured from different cameras installed at the main road, connecting Moga, Jaitu, Muktsar at Kotkapura in Faridkot, the minister said.
In the footage, Sidhu said a large number of Sikhs could be seen sitting in the middle of the road in a tent at around 6.40 am as part of their protest against sacrilege incidents.
The then senior IPS officer R S Khatra along with other police officers could be seen in the video urging the protesters led by radical Sikh leader Panthpreet Singh to end the dharna, the minister said.
“When the protesters did not accede to the requests, a large number of police personnel picked up Panthpreet Singh forcibly, leading to commotion there,” he said.
To disperse the crowd, the police lobbed tear gas shells and opened fire, Sidhu said, citing the CCTV footage.
"The people who were sitting peacefully at the dharna site in Kotkapura were brutally thrashed by the police," the minister alleged.
Quoting the statement of the doctor, Sidhu said when he went to the roof of the hospital, he was also asked by the police officers there to move away as some bullet might hit him.
"Both Badals should be booked first and later the proposed special investigation team can investigate the matter. The commission says there is prima facie evidence against them," he said.
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