Sukhbir Badal Summoned Again In Punjab Sacrilege Row, 2015 Case Still Unsolved

Shiromani Akali Dal president and ex-Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday appeared before a special police team in connection with the 2015 sacrilege and police firing cases, becoming the latest high-profile political leader to be questioned in one of the state's most politically sensitive investigations.

The questioning comes nearly 11 years after the sacrilege incidents shook Punjab and altered the state's political landscape.

Yet, despite multiple investigations, changes in government, and repeated political promises, not a single conviction has been secured in the main sacrilege and police firing cases.

For many in Punjab, the recurring summons and fresh investigations have increasingly raised one question: has the case become more of a political issue than a criminal investigation?

An investigation that has outlived 3 governments

Since 2015, the sacrilege cases have survived three governments - the Akali Dal-BJP alliance, the Congress, and now the AAP administration led by Bhagwant Mann.

Each government promised justice.

Each government constituted fresh investigations or ordered renewed probes.

Yet, eleven years later, the cases remain unresolved.

Over those years, five SITs, or Special Investigation Teams, set up by Punjab Police, apart from a team sent by the CBI have conducted investigations. But successive governments have failed to take the cases to their logical conclusion, leaving justice elusive for the victims' families.

Congress made it a poll promise too

The sacrilege issue became the defining political issue of the 2017 Punjab election.

The Congress campaigned aggressively on the promise of delivering justice to the victims and holding those responsible accountable. The issue was widely seen as one of the biggest reasons behind the defeat of the Shiromani Akali Dal after a decade in power.

However, despite governing Punjab for five years between 2017 and 2022, the Congress government could not secure a single conviction in the main sacrilege or police firing cases.

Fresh SITs were constituted and investigations continued. But the promised closure never came.

AAP's turn, same questions

When the Aam Aadmi Party swept to power in 2022, it too promised swift justice in the sacrilege cases. And over the last four-and-a-half years, the Mann government has repeatedly stated those responsible will not be spared.

The investigation has seen fresh questioning of political leaders, including Sukhbir Badal, and renewed activity by the SIT. But critics point out that despite multiple rounds of questioning and fresh summons, the investigation has yet to translate into convictions or a judicial conclusion.

The opposition has accused the government of using the case for political messaging, while the AAP maintains that it is pursuing the investigation strictly according to law.

The background

The sacrilege events began on June 1, 2015, when a bir (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from the Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village gurdwara. Three derogatory posters threatening sacrilege were pasted at Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala villages between September 26 and 27, 2015.

On October 12, 2015, torn pages of the bir were found scattered in front of a gurdwara in the adjoining Bargari village, triggering outrage across Punjab. On October 14, 2015, police opened fire at two places on people protesting against the sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib.

At Behbal Kalan, two protesters died due to bullet injuries, while at Kotkapura more than 50 people were injured. All these incidents took place in Faridkot district. The firing sparked widespread public outrage and intensified political tensions.

The incidents are viewed as one of the principal reasons behind the Akali Dal's defeat in the 2017 election, reflecting public anger over the government's handling of the crisis.

What lies ahead?

Sukhbir Badal's appearance before the SIT is likely to keep the politically sensitive issue alive, particularly with Punjab moving closer to another Assembly election. But the larger question remains unchanged.

VIDEO | Sukhbir Singh Badal's Apology With Folded Hands Over Sacrilege Cases

After eleven years, six investigations, multiple SITs, a CBI probe and three different governments, Punjab is still waiting for the one outcome that victims' families have consistently demanded - a judicial conclusion backed by convictions.

Until that happens, every new summons may generate political headlines, but it is unlikely to answer the question that has lingered since 2015: Who will finally deliver justice in one of Punjab's most consequential cases?