Punjab police wants CBI to further probe 2015 sacrilege incidents

Punjab police has sought "further probe" by the CBI into three sacrilege incidents at Faridkot in 2015, days after the central investigation agency filed a closure report in a Mohali court in this regard.

In a letter to the CBI, the Special DGP-cum-Director Bureau of Investigation, Punjab, Prabodh Kumar, sought "further investigations" into "certain aspects” highlighted by Punjab Police Deputy Inspector General R S Khatra led special investigation team which had probed other such incidents.

In the communication dated July 29, Kumar enclosed a letter written by SIT chief Khatra which pointed out the need to examine certain key witnesses and suspects and to analyse "technical evidence" by seeking information from authorities concerned abroad.

“The enclosed letter from Chairman of SIT reveals that certain key witnesses/suspects, whose examination could have thrown light upon these cases have not been identified or examined so far.

"In addition, technical evidence mentioned in the enclosed letter would also need proper considerations and analysis and required information may have to be sought from authorities concerned abroad,” Kumar wrote to the CBI Director.

The request for further probe came after the CBI filed its closure report in a special CBI court in Mohali last month, giving a clean chit to the accused in the three incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015 in Faridkot. The agency had rejected the findings of a Punjab Police SIT in these cases.