New Delhi: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia has accused the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the Amritsar Police Commissioner of doing a cover up to hide their “incompetency” and “failures” in connection with the failed assassination attempt on former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Majithia further highlighted a meeting that allegedly took place Tuesday between Sukhbir’s attacker Narain Singh Chaura and Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Harpal Singh.
Singh, on his part, has said that Chaura was at the shrine Tuesday but contended that alert police personnel had foiled the attack. Chaura, a former militant, was overpowered by the police personnel, who were part of the security detail provided to SAD chief Sukhbir.
But, Majithia asserted that the attack would not have happened if the police caught Chaura on Tuesday itself. “Why was Chaura not arrested on 3 December itself? What connections the SP deployed at Harmandir Sahib had with Chaura that he met him? Chaura stayed at least 15 minutes on Tuesday at the Harmandir Sahib when Sukhbir Badal and other leaders were doing service as per the order of Akal Takht,” the former Punjab minister said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Shortly after the attack was foiled Wednesday, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had commended the police force for foiling the attack, which, he alleged, was “a conspiracy” to defame Punjab and its people. At a press briefing, Amritsar police commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar told the media that investigators were also probing the “sympathy” angle to find out if the assassination attempt was “a self-orchestrated attempt”.
On Thursday, Bhullar refused to comment to a specific media query on the alleged meeting between a police officer and Chaura that took place a day before the attack.
Phone calls and WhatsApp messages to the Amritsar police commissioner went unanswered. This report will be updated as and when a response is received.
ThePrint reported Wednesday that Punjab Police officers had received some “inputs” on attempts being made by some religious groups to disturb law and order at and around Harmandir Sahib prompting them to further bolster the security in and around the holy Sikh shrine.
The former Punjab cabinet minister also rebuffed the police commissioner’s statement about a ‘three-tier’ security apparatus protecting his brother-in-law, Sukhbir Badal.
“They are lying about three-tier security. Either you share the orders, or I will show to confirm whether Jasbir Singh is from the Amritsar Police or he has been in security detail of Parkash Singh Badal since 2002 and then to Sukhbir and Harsimrat Kaur Badal,” he said.
It was Sukhbir’s personal security officer and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Jasbir Singh, who stopped Chaura from training his gun on the former deputy chief minister. Videos have emerged showing Singh, in civilian clothes, acting promptly to stop the former militant.
“How will you show your face after propagating lies about the SAD hatching this conspiracy to gain sympathy? Even (singer) Siddhu Moosewala and (kabaddi player) Sandeep Nangal Ambian had got themselves shot dead for sympathy?” Majithia said.
He sought to draw parallels between the attack on Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal at a padyatra in Malviya Nagar on Saturday with the episode that took place at the Golden Temple. “The responsibility of throwing water on him (Kejriwal) was pinned on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while there was an attempt to cover up failures despite recovery of a 9mm pistol from Chaura,” he added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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