Former Director General of Police Sumedh Saini, who was in constant touch with IG Umranangal at the time of the police firing at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, on 14 October 2015, has been summoned by the Special Investigation Team for questioning on 25 February 2009. Former Moga Senior Superintendent of Police Charanjit Sharma was arrested three weeks ago and former Inspector General of Police Paramraj Singh Umranangal was arrested three days ago.

Former DGP Sumedh Saini, who has also been accused of scores of cases of human rights violations during the days of the Sikh struggle in the last decades of the last century, has been summoned by the Special Investigation Team, constituted to enquire into the police firing on peaceful demonstrators at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan.

SIT chief Karan Vijay Singh had given adequate indication of impending arrests in media interviews, even though he had refrained from taking any names.  As the Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted blanket bail to Sumedh Saini, under which he has to be given notice prior to arrest or questioning, has in a recent interview to media called ‘the arrest of IG Umranangal as politically motivated.’

Taking exception to the statement of Sumedh Saini, Dal Khalsa spokesperson said,   “The Special Investigation Team is progressing in the right direction and Sumedh Saini ‘heart in heart’ knows that his arrest is imminent.”

Justice Ranjit Singh Commission had summoned former DGP Saini a number of times, but he chose not to attend the Commission hearings. The Justice Ranjit Singh Commission, in an indicting tone has questioned the role of Sumedh Saini in the whole incident of Kotkapura-Behbal Kalan firing.  The Commission report clearly points the needle of suspicion towards Saini and then eventually towards former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

It may be noted that in response to the statement of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh saying ‘the Behbal Kalan enquiry will go up to higher-ups’, former Chief Minister reached Chandigarh and called Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta and offered his arrest.