CAPT AMARINDER TERMS IT INTERFERENCE & BIASED DECISION TAKEN AT BEHEST OF SAD-BJP
Chandigarh, April 9- Agitated over what Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh termed a `biased order’, the Punjab Government has decided to approach the Election Commission of India seeking a review of its decision to transfer IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh.
The Chief Minister had found the EC order, issued in response to a complaint by an Akali Dal leader, to be tantamount to being direct interference in the investigations into the Bargari firing incident and had decided to ask the Election Commission to reconsider the matter in the interest of justice and Constitutional propriety.
The Akalis had been trying unsuccessfully to scuttle the investigations into the sacrilege and subsequent firing cases that took place during their tenure, and were now resorting to desperate measures to save their skin, said Captain Amarinder.
Captain Amarinder said the entire premise of the EC order was based on a flimsy complaint, which actually amounted to admission of guilt by the complainant. It was obvious the complainant was running scared at the thought of exposure by the SIT, and had taken refuge in the SAD alliance with the BJP, he added.
According to an official spokesperson, Captain Amarinder Singh was of the strong opinion that the EC was acting in a highly biased manner at the behest of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was indulging in all kinds of cheap tactics, including witch-hunts and interference in state affairs, in a desperate bid to save itself and its allies. Cognizant of the pathetic position of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab, where the party was facing another ignominious defeat, the BJP was trying to save it at any cost, according to the Chief Minister.
The brazen nexus between the BJP-SAD and ECI was manifest in the latter’s spate of recent orders and directives that were clearly skewed against the Congress, particularly in the states ruled by it, said the Chief Minister, lamenting the demolition of all the major Constitutional and democratic institutions in the country by the ruling party at the Centre.
His government’s sole intention in setting up the SIT, of which the IG was a key member and instrumental in the SIT’s aggressive investigations, was to bring the culprits to book and take the probe in the 2015 case to its logical conclusion, said Captain Amarinder. The SIT, he pointed out, had been carrying out its investigations as per the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, on a civil writ petition (23285/18) and their report was placed before the HC, which had reposed full faith in the investigations and had declined to monitor the same, he pointed out.
In fact, the High Court had, vide order dated January 25, 2019, had even declined to transfer the probe to the CBI as the SIT had conducted investigations into four criminal cases in a fair, impartial, independent and professional manner, without being influenced by any extraneous considerations, the Chief Minister noted.
Further, said the Chief Minister, the investigations undertaken by the SIT were of the nature of a statutory requirement under the CrPC, in which even courts do not interfere. The EC was simply not authorized to interfere in such a matter, he added.
The Akalis wanted to prevent him and his government, by hook or by crook, from bringing justice to the innocent victims of the 101 cases of sacrilege that had occurred in the state between 2015 and March 2017, said Captain Amarinder. The Chief Minister said he was personally committed to ensuring that justice is delivered to the families of the two dead victims and 17 others injured, including two maimed for life.
The Chief Minister warned the BJP and the Akalis against exploiting important institutions like the Election Commission and the defence forces to pursue its political and electoral agenda. Destruction of these independent institutions would be highly detrimental to the interests of the country and people would not forgive the ruling party for such indulging in such vicious acts, he added.
Captain Amarinder also urged the Election Commission not to allow its integrity to be compromised in such manner by the political vested interests of the ruling BJP and its allies, including SAD. People have faith in the EC institution but such actions are bound to destroy their trust, he added.