Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday demanded a high-level, independent probe, preferably by a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, into "popular belief that there is a deep-rooted conspiracy behind the series of provocative incidents and developments in Punjab in recent months, especially since the announcement of Jalandhar bypoll".
Badal said Punjabis want the devious mastermind behind this conspiracy to be exposed and punished. "Punjabis have the right to know who is the mastermind behind those executing these conspiracies."
In a statement here, the Akali Dal chief also asked both the Centre and the Punjab governments to come clean on doubts being expressed over the official version of sensitive events, including the so-called manhunt launched by the police, its dubious climax as well as the heinous acts of sacrilege happening one after the other in recent times.
"No one believes the government's version of these developments. People suspect that an undercover operation is at work to destabilise peace and communal harmony in Punjab for cheap electoral gains both in Jalandhar as well as in the rest of the country.
"The state and the Centre governments must set these doubts at rest with credible and fact-based evidence," said Badal.The SAD chief said: "The AAP government is repeatedly enacting dramas to divert attention from its abject failure to govern and ensure peace, communal harmony and development.
Every time, it faces embarrassing and credible allegations like its senior leaders, including ministers and MLAs being involved in shameful flesh trade or being caught red-handed accepting huge bribes, or gangsters giving interviews from jails," he said.
Badal alleged that a dangerous plot to set Punjab on fire again seems to be at work. "We need to know who is the devious mastermind behind all this," said the former Deputy Chief Minister.