Chandigarh: Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Sampla on Tuesday alleged that the Punjab Government was politically exploiting the Behbal Kalan firing case to divert attention from its failures, while reaffirming the Bharatiya Janata Party’s commitment to fully cooperate with the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Addressing a press conference after appearing before the SIT in Chandigarh, Sampla said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had promised justice in the Behbal Kalan case before coming to power but had failed to deliver even after more than four-and-a-half years.
He alleged that with the Assembly elections approaching, the government was attempting to revive the issue for political gain by exploiting the sentiments of the Sikh community.
Sampla said the BJP has consistently maintained that all those responsible for the Behbal Kalan incident should be identified through a fair, impartial and transparent investigation and punished in accordance with the law.
Referring to his appearance before the SIT, Sampla said he had been summoned for the fourth time. He stated that he had repeatedly requested certified copies of the documents on which the SIT was seeking his response.
“I have requested the SIT to provide certified copies of the documents, specify the records they want me to respond to and explain my alleged connection with the case. Without examining the documents, it would be improper to comment,” he said.
Sampla claimed that during the latest questioning, he was shown a memorandum submitted to the Punjab Governor on January 12, 2018, and questioned why an inquiry was being conducted over a document that had already been made public.
He further alleged that despite spending nearly three hours before the SIT, neither he nor his legal team was provided certified copies of the documents despite repeated requests.
The BJP leader also claimed that repeated summons appeared intended to keep the issue alive until elections rather than to ensure justice. He further alleged that the renewed focus on the Behbal Kalan case was aimed at diverting attention from criticism faced by the Punjab Government over recent religious issues.
Sampla maintained that neither he nor the BJP had any direct role in the Behbal Kalan incident, although the party was part of the alliance government in Punjab at the time.
Highlighting other issues facing the state, he alleged that Punjab was grappling with rising drug abuse, crime, extortion, deteriorating law and order, pending dues for government employees and administrative failures.
Reiterating his stand, Sampla said the BJP had nothing to hide and would continue to cooperate with the investigation.
“We are ready to cooperate fully at every stage of the investigation and will appear whenever called. However, the probe must be conducted fairly, transparently and without political vendetta. We only seek certified documents so that we can provide informed and legally sound responses,” he said.
