Breaking: Sukhbir Badal appears before SIT, alleges political vendetta by AAP Govt; Watch Video
SAD chief says he is cooperating with the probe into the 2015 sacrilege and police firing cases; questions delay in bringing the real culprits to justice.
Babushahi Bureau
Kotkapura (Punjab), July 20, 2026: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 2015 Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan sacrilege and police firing cases. After facing hours of questioning, Badal accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government of misusing investigative agencies for political vendetta instead of ensuring justice.
Addressing the media after his appearance, Badal said he had been summoned by the SIT for the fourth time and reiterated that he has always cooperated with the investigation.
“I have always respected the law and the Constitution. As president of a responsible political party, I will continue to cooperate with the investigation whenever I am called because I have nothing to hide,” he said.
Questioning the delay in the investigation, Badal asked why the actual perpetrators have not been brought to justice even after 11 years.
Launching a sharp attack on the Punjab government, the SAD chief alleged that the AAP administration was more interested in defaming the Akali Dal than identifying those responsible for the sacrilege incidents.
He also accused the Congress and AAP governments of exploiting the emotionally sensitive issue for political gains. According to Badal, while the Congress government used the issue for five years, the present AAP government is following the same approach instead of delivering justice.
Drawing a comparison with other criminal cases, Badal said police often solve murder cases within hours or days, but despite more than a decade having passed, the sacrilege and police firing cases remain unresolved.
“The repeated constitution of SITs only shows that the intention is not to deliver justice but to target the Akali Dal for political purposes,” he alleged.
Badal further claimed that the Punjab government was repeatedly raising the issue to divert public attention from law and order challenges and the state’s economic problems.
The 2015 incidents relate to the alleged sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari village of Faridkot district, followed by police firing on protesters at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, in which two Sikh youths lost their lives. At the time, Punjab was governed by the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance, and Sukhbir Singh Badal was serving as the state’s Home Minister.
The SIT is examining the administrative decisions and police action taken during that period as part of its ongoing investigation.