Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has rejected allegations of his government’s failure to resolve the Bargari case, pointing out that the Justice (Retd) Ranjit Singh Commission was investigating the various incidents of sacrilege, including the Kotakpura incident in Faridkot that led to the death of two persons.Lashing out at certain AAP and other leaders seeking to take political mileage on the issue, the Chief Minister said not only was the Commission meticulously investigating the previous cases of sacrilege, his government was also effectively cracking down against the culprits involved in all the fresh incidents reported in the state since it took over.The Ranjit Singh Commission, set up in April 2017, was thoroughly probing the Bargari and Behbal Kalan incidents, as well as all other cases of sacrilege of the Holy Guru Granth Sahib and other religious texts, said the Chief Minister, adding that it was currently visiting the sites of the incidents in various districts to collect evidence. Three other cases, all relating to 2015, were pending with CBI, which was investigating the same, he added.
The fact that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had sought scrapping of the Commission instead of cooperating with it clearly showed that the Akalis, led by the Badals, feared the findings of the Commission, which was conducting a painstaking probe into every incident of sacrilege/desecration to get to the bottom of the conspiracy to destabilise the state, said Captain Amarinder Singh.It was unfortunate, he said, that some Panthic leaders, supported by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), were trying to undermine the Commission’s and the government’s efforts to provide justice to the victims and punish the culprits.The Chief Minister pointed out that of the 69 cases of sacrilege registered in the state since March 1, 2017, as many as 57 had already been traced while 12 were under investigation. Since Bargari happened before his government took over, going back to the incident and tracing it was naturally taking time but the Ranjit Singh Commission was painstakingly engaged in uncovering the plot, he said, adding that he would ensure that the guilty are brought to book as soon as the Commission completes its probe and submits its report.The Chief Minister reiterated his promise not to spare anyone found involved in any conspiracy to disturb the hard-earned peace and harmony of Punjab, which had already suffered heavily at the hands of radical forces.