Tribune News Service
Faridkot/Ludhiana, Dec 3
The special investigation team (SIT) of the Punjab Police, probing the sacrilege incidents, has decided to go to the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters at Sirsa for the questioning chairperson Vipassana Insan and vice-chairman Dr PR Nain.
“Despite summoning them two times on November 26 and December 3, both senior functionaries of the dera have skipped their appearance before the SIT. So we have decided to reach the dera headquarters at Sirsa for questioning both suspects,” said Surinder Pal Singh Parmar, head of the SIT.
The questioning of these dera functionaries is important for further investigation into its role in the sacrilege incidents, said Inspector General of Police Surinder Pal Singh Parmar.
The SIT took a decision to question Vipassana and Nain after dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh denied his involvement in the sacrilege incidents. During his questioning at the Sunaria jail by the SIT last month, the dera chief had claimed he had no role in the functioning or decision-making of the dera. On July 6, 2019, the dera chief was named as an accused in the sacrilege incidents. Though the SIT had got the production warrants of the dera head to bring him from the Sunaria jail to Faridkot for questioning in the sacrilege incidents, as per the directions of the High Court, instead of bringing the dera head here, the SIT went to the Sunaria jail to question him about the sacrilege incidents.
“For the furtherance of the investigation, we need to question both Vipassana and Nain but they are avoiding their appearance before the SIT. While Vipassana did not respond back to the summons, Nain sought relief from personal appearance on medical grounds. As both these high executives of the dera will be camping in Sirsa, we have decided to go there,” said the SIT chief. Earlier, Vipassana Insan and Dr PR Nain again failed to turn up before the SIT. This was the third summon issued to both persons.
Adjourn Behbal case sine die: Accused
- Pending SIT probe into the Behbal Kalan police firing cases, an accused cop on Friday asked the court to adjourn the case sine die (indefinite period) for framing charges
- An SP-rank accused cop submitted an application, seeking to adjourn the case till the completion of probe
- Public prosecutor said there was no express provision prohibiting further probe after challan submission
SIT to quiz dera officials in Sirsa
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