Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday targeted his party’s government in the state by questioning the failure of the Charanjit Singh Channi government in filing a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court, challenging the blanket bail granted to the former director-general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 10 September.

Addressing a Press conference, Sidhu again questioned the appointment of Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota as new Director-General of Police (DGP) and Amar Preet Singh Deol as Advocate General (AG) by the Channi government.

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He said technically any lawyer can become the AG and any IPS officer can become the DGP but on moral and ethical grounds Deol and Sahota can’t continue on their posts.

“Can we appoint a lawyer who has procured blanket protection to the main accused persons in that case as the Advocate General? Or can we have an IPS officer, who was the first investigating officer and gave a clean chit to the main conspirators as the DGP, especially when the case is still being investigated,” he observed.

Hitting out at the AG, Deol, Sidhu said a lawyer who procured blanket protection for the police in the 2015 Kotkapura firing on a gathering of Sikh demonstrators did not have moral or ethical right to continue.

Referring to the Behbal Kalan police firing case of 2015 in which two Sikh protesters were killed when they were sitting on dharna seeking action in the sacrilege cases, the Congress leader said,” It has been seven years since, and justice is still awaited.”

Referring to former DGP, Saini, as the prime accused in the sacrilege case, Sidhu said that with a blanket bail to him, the sacrilege case can’t move forward.

The Punjab Congress chief also asked the Channi government to make public the drug case report, which is kept sealed with the Punjab and Haryana High Court, in the November 11 sitting of the Assembly. “No one stops the government from disclosing facts of the investigations,” he said.
Questioning Congress ministers and legislators, Sidhu said those who sought the removal of the former chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, for inaction in the drugs and sacrilege cases are sitting silently now.

“They (Congress leaders) raised a voice seeking Amarinder’s removal and threatened to break into Saini’s house. Why are they not speaking when the present dispensation is not acting, now?” Sidhu asked.