Former Union Minister and former Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Vijay Sampla on Tuesday, 7 July accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state government of politically exploiting the sensitive sacrilege issue to deflect public attention from its governance failures. Sampla made the remarks after appearing before a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Chandigarh in connection with the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing case, which is linked to multiple sacrilege incidents.

Sampla's Core Charge Against the AAP Government

Speaking to reporters after the SIT appearance, Sampla said the AAP government had made justice in the sacrilege cases a central poll promise before coming to power, yet had failed to deliver any tangible outcome in over four-and-a-half years. He argued that with elections approaching, the ruling party was once again attempting to revive the issue — this time, he alleged, to exploit the emotions of the Sikh community for political gain rather than to secure genuine accountability.

Sampla maintained that the BJP's position on the Behbal Kalan incident has been consistent: every person responsible must be identified through a fair, impartial, and transparent investigation and awarded the strictest punishment permissible under law. He stressed this stance remains unchanged.

The SIT Summons and the Document Dispute

This was the fourth summons issued to Sampla by the SIT. He noted he had previously appeared before the SIT in Jalandhar as well, and on each occasion had requested certified copies of the documents on which his responses were being sought. According to Sampla, those requests were not fulfilled.

During the latest round of questioning, which lasted nearly three hours, the SIT showed him a memorandum submitted to the Governor on 12 January 2018. Sampla questioned why an SIT inquiry was being initiated over a document that was neither confidential nor secret and had already been shared publicly with the media at the time of its submission.

He and his legal team again requested a certified copy of the document, arguing that in the digital age, documents can be manipulated and only a certified copy can be treated as reliable. The SIT, he said, declined to provide one despite the repeated request — a refusal he called unreasonable.

BJP's Stand on Sacrilege Justice

Sampla reiterated that the BJP has never shielded anyone responsible for the sacrilege incidents or the Behbal Kalan police firing. He said the party's demand for a fair probe is not new and should not be conflated with opposition to accountability. Critics, however, may note that the BJP itself was in power in Punjab during the period when the original incidents occurred and the early investigations were conducted.

What Comes Next

The SIT proceedings in the Behbal Kalan case are ongoing, and Sampla has indicated he will continue to cooperate while insisting on procedural fairness, including access to certified documents. The political temperature around sacrilege-related cases in Punjab is expected to remain elevated as the state moves closer to the next electoral cycle.