The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura sacrilege-related firing cases has summoned Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to appear before the inquiry officials on Monday.

Government sources said the development came after BJP leader Vijay Sampla, in his statement to the SIT, denied having signed the representation submitted to the Punjab Governor along with Sukhbir Badal in connection with the sacrilege incidents.

Sampla's statement is understood to have prompted the SIT to summon Sukhbir Badal for further questioning to clarify the circumstances surrounding the representation.

Sampla, however, told the media after his questioning last week that he had asked the police to show him the original copy of the memorandum so that he could confirm or deny his signature.

Sources privy to the probe said the SIT has also been examining the sequence of events preceding the police action against protesters in October 2015.

Former Akali Dal MLA Mantar Singh Brar had earlier told the SIT that he had spoken to the then Chief Minister, Home Minister and the Director General of Police before the crackdown on protesters was carried out, sources said.

Adding another layer to the probe, the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has also confirmed to the SIT that the order to remove the protesters was given during the night, sources said. The detail is significant for investigators piecing together who authorised the use of force and when the decision was actually taken.

The Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing incidents took place in October 2015 amid protests over incidents of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib in Faridkot district. Two protesters were killed in the police firing at Behbal Kalan, while several others were injured.