Chandigarh: The Punjab Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing incident has issued a fresh summons to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. According to official sources, the investigating team has directed Badal to present himself for further interrogation on September 11. The renewed directive marks the second time in recent months that the SAD leader has been called before the panel, following his earlier questioning session on July 20.
Confirming that Badal will comply with the summons, SAD spokesperson and senior advocate Arshdeep Singh Kaler reiterated that the party president would appear before the SIT on September 11 as requested. Kaler asserted that repeated summons would not alter the party’s stance, emphasizing that the statements provided by Badal and the Akali Dal remain unchanged. He added that the party maintains complete transparency regarding the events surrounding the 2015 protests.
Taking aim at the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, Kaler questioned the lack of finality in the long-running investigation and criticized the prolonged delay in filing the final challan against those actually responsible for the incident. The Akali Dal spokesperson alleged that the state administration is orchestrating the recurrent questioning of opposition figures to deflect public attention from its own governance shortcomings. The 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing case, which resulted in the deaths of two protesters during demonstrations against sacrilege incidents, continues to remain a politically contentious issue in Punjab.
