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Badal’s govt tells Supreme Court
Prof Bhullar is
hardcore terrorist
Sach Kanwal Singh
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Prof. Devinder Pal Singh
Bhullar |
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CHANDIGARH:
In
January 2003 was formed a body called ‘Forum for the Defence of
Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar’ under Justice A.S. Bains and Akali Dal
general secretary Capt Kanwaljit Singh had said his party will rise
above all political differences and will lead the movement to save
Prof Bhullar. A couple of days later, loyalist of Parkash Singh
Badal and president of SGPC, Kirpal Singh Badungar and then rival
Gurcharan Singh Tohra wrote separately to the President of India,
asking him to commute the death sentence of Devinder Pal Singh
Bhullar. Bhullar was innocent, Badungar claimed in the letter, and
raised the argument that since he has been deported from
Germany, a
person deported or extradited from the European country could not be
sentenced to death. For years, Badal also paid lip service to the
cause, even meeting the Prime Minister to press for Prof Bhullar’s
release.
Now that Badals’
government wants to save its tainted police officer Sumedh Saini,
currently facing the heat as CBI is preparing to frame charges
against him in kidnapping and murder cases, it has not only engaged
the best legal brains in Delhi and is fighting for a stay in the
proceedings against Saini but has also said in writing that Bhullar
was a hardcore terrorist.
In the SLP filed
before the Supreme Court of India against the order of the High
Court after the latter marked an inquiry to find out the whereabouts
of father and maternal uncle of Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar and
Balwant Singh Multani (both abducted by Saini in 1991 when he was
SSP of Chandigarh), the state of Punjab has described Multani as a
“proclaimed offender” and Prof Bhullar as a “terrorist”.
Meanwhile, it
consistently described Sumedh Saini as a “decorated officer” and as
“instrumental in the fight against terrorism”. Saini is currently
doing the dirty job for the government as head of the Vigilance
Bureau, harassing political opponents of Badals. “It is submitted
that the State is extremely concerned over this turn of events in
which decorated officers of the Police Force who had been successful
are now on the receiving end of criminal investigation.
Balwant Singh
Multani is a proclaimed offender in several cases and terrorist
Devinder Singh Bhullar has been awarded death sentence for killing
security personnel in an assassination attempt on Shri M.S.Bitta,
the then president, All India Youth Congress at Delhi...The High
Court has directed that that the CBI accept the word of such persons
as sufficient to initiate criminal proceedings against decorated
officers,” the SLP said. Punjab Government’s case to save Saini is
being argued by Advocate Harish Salve.
The Parkash
Singh Badal government is mum on the matter and Akali leaders too
embarrassed to respond even as Shiromani Akali Dal (Panch Pardhani)
led by Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu and presidium member Harpal Singh
Cheema narrated in Chandigarh how Badal also protected the Nirankari
chief since 1978 and is safe guarding the Sirsa dera head. They also
recall Badal’s murky role in suppressing the facts of an inquiry
into murder of former Akal Takht Jathedhar, Bhai Gurdev Singh
Kaunke. It may be mentioned that a number of human rights
organizations in
India
and at the international level are fighting for Prof Bhullar.
A
number of MPs from
Europe
and US have spoken in defense of Prof Bhullar and the Akal Takht had
issued a Hukamnama to the Sikhs to pray for release of Prof. Bhullar.
An Ardas Diwas was observed as a result. The SLP in the SC came
after the High Court issued a notice to CBI to register a case
against Saini for abduction of Prof. Bhullar’s father, uncle and
Balwant Singh Multani. The latter was a son of an IAS officer, now
retired. Punjab Government has obtained a stay order on the basis of
this SLP.
6 August, 2008
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