Kotkapura Firing Case Hearing Transferred to Chandigarh: Accused SSP Cited Danger in Faridkot; Former CM Among Accused

The hearing for the Kotkapura firing incident in Faridkot will now take place in a Chandigarh court. Acting on an order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, this case has been transferred from Faridkot to Chandigarh. This decision was reached following a petition filed by the accused, SSP Charanjit Singh.

Prior to this, the case regarding the Behbal Kalan firing incident had also been transferred to Chandigarh. Charanjit Sharma's counsel, Tanveer Singh, stated that they raised concerns regarding security. He noted that whenever his client appears for a court hearing, he feels uneasy and perceives a constant threat of untoward incidents.

He further pointed out that Dera followers have previously been murdered in Faridkot, and some incidents have even occurred while individuals were in police custody.

**Hearing Process to Expedite: Counsel**
In this matter, defense counsel Amit Gupta explained that hearings for cases related to the Kotkapura firing—much like those concerning the sacrilege and Behbal Kalan firing incidents—will now be conducted at the District Court in Chandigarh. This consolidation will centralize the future proceedings of these cases at a single location. Since all these incidents are interconnected and involve the same set of witnesses, the hearing process is expected to accelerate.

**Two Youths Killed in Firing**
On October 12, 2015, an incident involving the sacrilege of the *Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji* occurred in Bargari, Faridkot. Following this, Sikh organizations staged protests in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, which the police attempted to disperse. During these events, on October 14, the police resorted to using force against the protesters in both Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan. In Behbal Kalan, the police opened fire, resulting in the deaths of two Sikh youths.

**Total of 8 Accused in Firing Case**
In its charge sheet, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has named the following individuals as accused: former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal; SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal; the then-DGP Sumedh Singh Saini; the then-IG Paramraj Umranangal; SSP Moga Charanjit Sharma; SSP Faridkot Sukhmander Mann; DIG Ferozepur Amar Singh Chahal; and the then-SHO (City) Kotkapura, Gurdeep Singh.