In a sudden move, Punjab police chief Sumedh Singh Saini was on Sunday shunted out by the state government which is under intense pressure over handling of the situation arising out of desecretion of Sikh holy book even protests over the issue were petering off.
Suresh Arora, a 1982-batch IPS officer who was serving as Chief Director of Vigilance Bureau, was appointed as the new Director General of Police in place of Saini who was shifted as Director Housing Corporation, an official spokesman said.
Arora had played a crucial role in fighting terrorism and was posted as the SP (Headquarters), Amritsar, during Operation Black Thunder I, and as SSP Amritsar at the time of Operation Black Thunder II.
Saini was believed to be close to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Congress and most of the Sikh organisations were against his holding the DGP’s post.
The change at the top level in police was made amidst intense attack by opposition on the SAD-BJP government over its handling of the situation that developed after incidents of sacrilege in various parts of the state, during which two persons were killed when police opened fire.
Meanwhile, the ‘Bhog’ (culmination) of ‘Akhand Path’ (continuous recitation of religious hymns) of the two persons killed allegedly in police firing at Behbal Kalan in Faridkot district passed off peacefully on Sunday.
Protests by Sikh organisations, including hardliners, were also on the wane, and getting limited to village roads. Majority of national highways and state highways saw normal movement of traffic, police said.
However, in yet another embarrassing development for the Badal government, Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) chairman and SAD’s Amritsar district chief (urban) Upkar Singh Sandhu resigned from both posts on Saturday.
Sandhu, close to the Badal family, cited the decision of the Five Takht Jathedars to exonerate Dera Sacha Sauda chief and the recent incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib as reasons for his decision.
He held the state government “solely” responsible for the rising incidents of the desecration of ‘birs’ in the state.
Meanwhile, family and lawyers of the two brothers arrested for desecration of Sikh holy books alleged they were being framed up by the police and sought CBI probe.
Arrested Sikh youth Rupinder Singh has refuted the allegations of Punjab Police that he was responsible for sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, according to advocate Shiv Kartar Singh who met him today.
He categorically denied the charges claiming that being a baptised Sikh, he could not think of doing such an act. He accused police of implicating him, Kartar Singh said.
The advocate said Rupinder also told him that he is dependent on liquid diet for several days as he could not digest solid food due to his illness caused by injury in the backbone.
Kartar Singh is a part of three-member team of lawyers constituted to provide legal aid to Rupinder and his brother Jaswinder under guidance of advocate senior lawyer H S Phoolka.
The lawyer said he had submitted an application in the Faridkot court pleading to direct the police to get Rupinder admitted in a super-specialty hospital for treatment of his backbone injury, caused during police action in Kotkapura, but the court refused.Both the brothers are in police custody in Faridkot.
They were arrested by police in the sacrilege case of Bargari village that triggered widespread protests in Punjab. On the other hand, families of 26-year-old Gurjit Singh and 42-year-old Krishan Singh, who were killed allegedly in police firing have demanded stringent action against the guilty.
Protests erupted after torn pages of the Sikh holy book were found at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village of Faridkot days back. It was claimed that the holy book was stolen from a gurdwara.