This story is from February 17, 2019

Nakodar killings: Party lines blur, politicians seek action on report

Nakodar killings: Party lines blur, politicians seek action on report
CHANDIGARH: A day after Justice Gurnam Singh Commission’s probe report on the 1986 Nakodar killings was made public, legislators cutting across party lines asked the Punjab government to act on the report and ensure justice to affected families. Four Sikh youths, who were part of a protest against the sacrilege of Birs of the Guru Granth Sahib, were killed in police firing at Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara in Nakodar on February 4,1986.
The TOI had on Saturday reported that the commission, in its 387-page report, not only indicted police officers, including then Nakodar SP (operations) A K Sharma, but pointed out that then Jalandhar SSP, Mohammad Izhar Alam, and district magistrate Darbara Singh Guru failed to handle the worsening situation.
Those killed in the firing included Ravinder Singh, Jhalman Singh, Baldhir Singh and Harminder Singh. The commission found that Sharma failed to follow police rules to seek permission before opening fire on the gathering from the then district magistrate, who a kilometre from the spot. “Police was, therefore, not justified and could be avoided,” the commission had recorded in its report submitted to the then SAD government led by chief minister Surjit Singh Barnala on October 31,1986.
Harpal Singh Cheema, leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly and AAP leader, not only demanded action on the commission’s report but also expulsion of Darbara Singh Guru (then Jalandhar ADC) and Mohammad Izhar Alam (then Jalandhar SSP) from the SAD. “Both sacrilege and resultant police firing incidents of 1986 in Nakodar and 2015 in Kotkapura as well as Behbal Kalan happened during the SAD government. Our demand from the state assembly speaker is that there should be a debate on the report in this session,” said Cheema. Emphasising that the AAP had been demanding that the report be made public from Day 1, Cheema also demanded the formation of a special investigation team to re-investigate the case.
The SAD MLA from Nakodar, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, said he had also been demanding justicefor the victim families by punishing those found responsible and paying compensation on humanitarian grounds. His father, Kuldip Singh Wadala, was the SAD MLA from Nakodar in 1986. “My father even met the then CM, Surjit Singh Barnala, to urge him to at least hand over the bodies to the families. But the police did even not allow the parents to perform their last rites and consigned the bodies to flames,” said Wadala, adding that one of the deceased was shot at point-blank range. The Nakodar MLA said he also demanded a debate on the issue in the last assembly session, but it was not allowed as the action taken report(ATR) had not been tabled in the assembly. “But the Congress government allowed the debate on Justice Ranjit Singh Commission’s report into the police firing in Behbal Kalan in 2015,” he added.
Bholath MLA and Punjabi Ekta Party chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira went to the extent of demanding criminal action against officials responsible for the firing. He said action schould have been taken against them during government service. “What is the use of constituting commissions if the commission’s reports are to be pushed under the carpet and not made public for over 30 years?,” said Khaira.
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About the Author
Sanjeev Verma

Sanjeev Verma is Senior Assistant Editor in the Punjab Bureau of The Times of India. He writes on politics, security, public policy, finance, industries and commerce, rural development, legal affairs, defence services welfare and NRI affairs. He has earlier covered Haryana, as well as Punjab and Haryana High Court after an initial stint in Delhi.

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