Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday, 20 July appeared before a Special Investigating Team (SIT) in Chandigarh for questioning in the Behbal Kalan police firing case, an 11-year-old matter still under investigation. After a two-hour session, Badal alleged the summons were politically motivated and accused Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of using the probe to divert attention from what the SAD chief described as 'sacrilegious conduct' against the Guru Sahiban.

What Badal Said After Questioning

Speaking to the media outside the Punjab Police Officers Institute (PPOI), Badal said the SIT had posed the same questions he had already answered on three prior occasions. 'The SIT is asking the same questions again and again. This is the fourth time I have been called. All questions and my answers have already been recorded on camera and documented in the previous SIT registers,' he said.

He further alleged that the questions appeared to have been 'framed by the Delhi AAP team to extract political mileage from an unfortunate incident,' adding that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had formed the SIT 'not to bring the accused to justice but to politicise the issue.'

Sukhbir's Counterattack on Bhagwant Mann

Badal did not limit his remarks to the SIT proceedings. He accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of committing what he termed a 'heinous religious crime' by sending police into a shrine in Sultanpur Lodhi, which he claimed disrupted an Akhand Path. He also alleged that Mann had 'sprinkled liquor on the portraits of the Guru Sahiban' — a charge the Chief Minister has not publicly addressed in this context.

Badal warned that Sri Akal Takht Sahib, which he called 'the most venerable institution of the Sikhs,' was being confronted by the current government, and said: 'Whoever confronts Sri Akal Takht Sahib bites the dust. His fate will be the same.'

Sacrilege Record and Assembly Election Warning

The SAD chief claimed that 597 cases of sacrilege had been reported in Punjab over the past 10 years, arguing that the Mann government had failed to ensure proper investigation, leading to 'large-scale acquittals and cancellation of cases.' He said Punjabis were 'waiting for the forthcoming Assembly elections to teach them a befitting lesson.'

Supporters Brave Rain Outside PPOI

Hundreds of SAD supporters gathered outside the PPOI in heavy rain to express solidarity with Badal. Addressing the crowd, Badal thanked them for their turnout and described the summons as a 'drama' and a 'diversionary tactic,' asserting that SAD would 'not be intimidated by such tactics.'

The Behbal Kalan firing case, dating back approximately 11 years, remains under active SIT investigation. How the probe proceeds — and whether it yields prosecutions — will be closely watched ahead of Punjab's next Assembly election cycle.