The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 2015 sacrilege incidents and the subsequent Behbal Kalan police firing case has stepped up its investigation, with plans to question BJP leader and former Union Minister Vijay Sampla, former Faridkot Deputy Commissioner Malwinder Singh Jaggi, and former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s ex-OSD Gagandeep Singh Brar.
Sources said the SIT is seeking to revisit several aspects of the long-running investigation and is expected to record statements from individuals whose roles or representations related to the case have not been examined in detail earlier.
Investigators are likely to seek clarification from Sampla regarding concerns and allegations he had previously raised before constitutional authorities in connection with the sacrilege incidents and the Behbal Kalan firing. Officials believe the information could help establish additional links in the sequence of events surrounding the case.
The SIT is also expected to question former IAS officer Malwinder Singh Jaggi, who was serving as Deputy Commissioner of Faridkot during the period when the sacrilege incidents and the subsequent police firing took place. Sources indicated that investigators want a clearer understanding of the administrative response and official decision-making process at the time.
In another significant development, the SIT is preparing for fresh questioning of IAS officer Gagandeep Singh Brar, who served as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. According to sources, investigators are interested in understanding the communication and coordination between the Chief Minister’s Office and senior administrative officials during the period when the incidents unfolded.
The probe has also gained fresh momentum following the statement recorded by former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh. Sources said the former Jathedar recently appeared before the SIT and provided information relating to religious proceedings conducted at Akal Takht Sahib in December 2024.
According to information shared with investigators, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal had, during those proceedings, publicly acknowledged moral responsibility for the sacrilege incidents and the Behbal Kalan firing that occurred during the tenure of the SAD-BJP government. The statement was allegedly made in the presence of Sikh clergy, members of the Sikh community, and media representatives.
The former Jathedar is also understood to have informed the SIT that the proceedings were officially recorded and that video footage remains available as part of Akal Takht records. Investigators are expected to examine the material as part of their effort to corroborate statements and reconstruct the chain of events.
Officials said the SIT is now attempting to connect multiple strands of evidence, witness accounts, and documentary records as it pushes forward with one of Punjab’s most sensitive and closely watched investigations. Further questioning and collection of evidence are expected in the coming weeks as the probe continues.