A day after a special investigation team (SIT) summoned Punjab’s former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in the Behbal Kalan police firing and sacrilege incidents, Sukhraj Singh Niamiwala, whose father Krishan Bhagwan Singh was killed in the infamous Behbal Kalan police firing on October 14, 2015, has lashed out at political parties for weaponising the sacrilege and police firing cases for political gain.

​Expressing deep anguish over the delayed justice, he said political parties had been playing games for the past 11 years, delivering “zero results” to the grieving families.

Sukhraj Singh warned the parties against using the sensitive issues of sacrilege and the subsequent police firing as mere electoral tools. Commenting on the ongoing investigation, he said the summoning and questioning of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal should not be reduced to a “political tactic” or a headline-grabbing move.

He alleged that past interrogations and panels yielded absolutely no result. He demanded that the current probe must genuinely aid in the delivery of justice, breaking away from the pattern of futile political drama seen over the last decade.

​The controversy dates back to October 2015, following a series of desecration incidents of the Guru Granth Sahib in this area of Punjab. On October 14, 2015, police opened fire on Sikh protesters who were staging a peaceful demonstration against the sacrilege incidents at Behbal Kalan in Faridkot. Two protesters—Krishan Bhagwan Singh (Sukhraj’s father) and Gurjit Singh —were killed in police action.

The SIT has recently intensified its probe, questioning several high-profile political figures and police officials regarding the command structure during the 2015 incident. However, for families like Niamiwala, the legal process has dragged on for far too long and they are demanding a swift, transparent and non-partisan conclusion to the investigation.