Sukhbir Badal Questioned Again; Sacrilege Case Outlives Three Governments

Shiromani Akali Dal President and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal appeared before a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday for questioning in connection with the 2015 sacrilege and subsequent police firing cases. The questioning comes nearly 11 years after the incidents that triggered widespread protests across Punjab and became one of the state's most politically significant controversies. Despite multiple investigations over the years, the main cases remain unresolved.

The 2015 sacrilege cases have continued through three successive governments in Punjab—the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance, the Congress government and the current Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Each government pledged to deliver justice and ordered fresh investigations or reconstituted Special Investigation Teams, but no conviction has yet been secured in the principal sacrilege or police firing cases.

According to officials, Punjab Police has constituted five Special Investigation Teams over the years, while the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also conducted a separate probe. Despite these investigations and repeated political assurances, the cases have yet to reach a judicial conclusion. The prolonged legal process has led to continuing public and political debate over the pace and outcome of the investigations.

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The controversy began in 2015 after a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was reportedly stolen from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village in Faridkot district. In the months that followed, torn pages of the holy scripture were discovered in nearby Bargari village, triggering widespread protests across Punjab. During demonstrations on October 14, 2015, police opened fire at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura, resulting in the deaths of two protesters and injuries to more than 50 others.

The sacrilege incidents became a major political issue during the 2017 Punjab Assembly election, with the Congress promising to bring those responsible to justice. Although the Congress governed the state from 2017 to 2022 and initiated further investigations, the cases remained unresolved. After coming to power in 2022, the AAP government also pledged swift action and has continued questioning political leaders while maintaining that the investigation is being conducted strictly according to law.

Sukhbir Singh Badal's latest appearance before the SIT is expected to keep the politically sensitive issue in focus as Punjab moves closer to another Assembly election. However, the central issue remains unchanged: after more than a decade, multiple investigations and repeated government assurances, the victims' families continue to await a judicial conclusion and convictions in one of Punjab's most significant criminal and political cases.

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