Former Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla on Tuesday appeared before a special investigation team (SIT) probing the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing incident at the PAP Complex in Jalandhar. The BJP leader termed the summons as baseless, asserting he had no connection with the 11-year-old case.
Sampla calls summons a diversion tactic
Before heading to the PAP complex, Sampla interacted with the media at Circuit House. He accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of using the summons as a diversion tactic. “I have no direct or indirect connection with the 11-year-old incident. Summoning me is just a diversion tactic of the Aam Aadmi Party government, as Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is caught up in various panthic issues, including that of a controversial video,” Sampla said.
Flanked by party leaders, including former MLA Sheetal Angural, Sampla added, “They are unnecessarily involving the BJP in the matter. This government, and even the previous Congress government, has so far failed to reach any conclusion on the killing of two youths who had been protesting against the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib.”
Interrogation details revealed
After his interrogation, Sampla returned to Circuit House in the afternoon. He stated that SIT chief IG Naunihal Singh was on leave and Bathinda DIG Harjit Singh, who had sent the summons, was also unavailable. Only an SP-rank officer was present. “He told me I was being questioned for sending a memorandum to the Governor of Punjab on November 12, 2018, regarding the incident. I clarified that the SAD-BJP alliance was in power then and I was not even the BJP state president at that time, as I had relinquished the charge in April 2018. I asked them to at least show me a copy of the memorandum to verify its content and my signature, but they had nothing to present,” Sampla explained.
Sampla was originally summoned on Monday but had sought a day’s time due to the visit of BJP national president Nitin Nabin to Punjab. At Circuit House, several BJP leaders and workers gathered to express solidarity with him.
