On 12 October 2015, torn pages of a stolen copy of the Guru Granth Sahib were found near a gurdwara in Bargari village, Faridkot district, Punjab. Two days later police broke up sit-ins at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan; at Behbal Kalan police fire killed two protesters, Krishan Bhagwan Singh and Gurjit Singh. Two judicial commissions and several police SITs later, no one has been convicted for either the sacrilege or the firing, and the trials now sit in Chandigarh courts.
Key takeaways
- On 14 October 2015 police used force on sit-ins at Kotkapura, where several protesters were injured, and at Behbal Kalan, where two protesters, Krishan Bhagwan Singh and Gurjit Singh, were killed.
- Police said in 2015 that they fired in self-defence; later SITs charged officers with fabricating that evidence.
- The Justice Zora Singh Commission (2016) and the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission (2018) both found the police action avoidable or unwarranted; the Ranjit Singh panel held then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini responsible for Kotkapura.
- A 2023 SIT chargesheet named Sukhbir Badal and Saini as alleged masterminds of the Kotkapura force; Badal denies wrongdoing and calls the probes political.
- All three sets of trials, including the sacrilege trial of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, have been moved from Faridkot to Chandigarh. No one has been convicted.
Background: three acts of sacrilege in Faridkot
The cases began on 1 June 2015, when a bir (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a gurdwara at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village. On 25 September 2015 objectionable handwritten posters were put up in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala. On 12 October 2015 torn pages of the stolen bir were recovered near a gurdwara in Bargari Tribune LiveLaw.
For many Sikhs, who revere the Guru Granth Sahib as the living Guru, the discovery was an attack on the faith itself, and protests spread across the state The Pioneer. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP were in government, with Parkash Singh Badal as Chief Minister and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal as Deputy Chief Minister IANS via Deccan Herald Tribune.
What happened on 14 October 2015
Sikh preachers Panthpreet Singh and Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale were at the front of the agitation and among those leading a sit-in at Kotkapura chowk Tribune. Police acted against that dharna between 6 am and 7 am on 14 October Tribune. Police lathi-charged the protesters, reportedly to disperse them and take possession of torn pages they were holding Tribune. One protester at Kotkapura suffered gunshot injuries DailyO.
About two hours later, at Behbal Kalan village, a police team led by the then Moga SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma used force on another group of protesters Tribune Tribune. Two protesters, Krishan Bhagwan Singh and Gurjit Singh, were killed in the firing Tribune. A murder case against unknown persons was registered a week later, on 21 October 2015, at Bajakhana police station on the complaint of the head of a police SIT Tribune.
Timeline
Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan
Police clear the Kotkapura sit-in at dawn; at Behbal Kalan two protesters are shot dead Tribune.
"Foreign hand" claim
Police arrest two brothers and say they had handlers in Australia and Dubai; the Centre sends 10 BSF companies to Punjab Tribune.
Brothers released
The two brothers walk out of Faridkot jail, a day after the Chief Minister approved handing three sacrilege cases to the CBI Deccan Herald.
Ranjit Singh reports
The Congress government's commission submits its report and a supplementary report; both are tabled in the Assembly DailyO.
High Court quashes SIT probe
The Punjab and Haryana High Court quashes the Kotkapura probe led by IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh PTI via Deccan Herald.
Kotkapura chargesheet
A new SIT names Sukhbir Badal and Sumedh Singh Saini as alleged masterminds Tribune.
Kotkapura trials moved
The High Court transfers the Kotkapura trials to Chandigarh, joining the Behbal Kalan and sacrilege trials already there Tribune.
Sukhbir questioned
The SIT questions Sukhbir Badal for over two hours in Chandigarh Tribune.
Both accounts of the firing
Protesters' and victims' account
Protesters and their supporters say the sit-ins were peaceful; the Ranjit Singh Commission later described the protesters as peaceful and reciting Gurbani DailyO. In 2018 minister Navjot Singh Sidhu released CCTV footage from Kotkapura which, he said, showed officers urging protesters to end the dharna, then picking up their leader Panthpreet Singh, lobbing tear gas and opening fire. "The people who were sitting peacefully at the dharna site in Kotkapura were brutally thrashed by the police," he alleged Scroll. Sukhraj Singh Niamiwala, son of Krishan Bhagwan Singh and a leader of the Behbal Kalan Insaf Morcha, says successive governments came to power promising justice and failed to deliver it Tribune Tribune.
Police account at the time
On 14 October 2015 the Kotkapura SHO, Gurdeep Singh Pander, registered an FIR against unknown persons under Sections 307 and 353 IPC and the Arms Act, accusing them of attacking police with firearms and damaging public property. He said police fired 10 bullets in self-defence after being attacked Tribune. At Behbal Kalan, police also registered an FIR accusing a large number of protesters of attacking a police team when asked to end a road blockade Tribune.
Claim · SIT Later SITs rejected the self-defence version. In 2020 the SIT charged the officers in the Behbal Kalan case with "fabricating false evidence", alleging bullet marks on a police vehicle were faked to support a self-defence theory Tribune. It arrested Pander, alleging he logged 10 empty cartridges in the police store that were never deposited Tribune. These are charges, not findings of a trial court.
Government's position, 2015 The SAD-BJP government said the sacrilege was a conspiracy. On 20 October 2015 police announced the arrest of brothers Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh, saying intercepted calls showed handlers in Australia and Dubai. Sukhbir Badal said: "We have unearthed the conspiracy." Police said the incidents were not linked to the Akal Takht's recent pardon of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Tribune. The brothers were released from Faridkot jail on 2 November amid protests by Sikh organisations, and Chief Minister Badal approved transferring three sacrilege cases to the CBI Deccan Herald. DGP Saini was removed from his post after the violence IANS via Deccan Herald.
The two judicial commissions
Justice Zora Singh Commission. The SAD-BJP government set up this one-man commission in October 2015 The Pioneer. Its 51-page report, handed over on 1 July 2016, was not made public. According to The Tribune, it did not indict any officer but said police charged without first warning the crowd, and that the firing "could have been avoided". It also said that had the preachers appealed for peace, the situation would not have become tense Tribune. In February 2017 AAP released a leaked copy, which called the Behbal Kalan firing "absolutely unwarranted" and found the victims were sitting when shot Newslaundry. The report was widely criticised as inconclusive The Pioneer.
Justice Ranjit Singh Commission. Set up by the Congress government after it took office in March 2017, it reported on 30 June 2018 with a supplementary report on 16 August DailyO. It ruled that the force at Kotkapura was "unwarranted, uncalled for and not needed at all", held DGP Saini responsible, and said IG Paramraj Singh Umranangal, DIG Amar Singh Chahal and three SSPs "must share the blame" Tribune. It found the Behbal Kalan firing was "without any warning and without taking permission from civil authorities" DailyO.
On the Badals, the reports read differently. The supplementary report said the Chief Minister and his office "were apparently kept in the loop" about the Kotkapura action DailyO. The Tribune reported that the panel "stops short of holding former CM Parkash Singh Badal responsible with any degree of surety", noting the Badals declined to appear before it Tribune. The SAD rejected the findings as motivated DailyO. Sukhbir Badal said that by handing the cases to the police, the Chief Minister had admitted he failed to "achieve his objectives" through the commission and would now misuse the police Scroll.
The police investigations
After the Assembly debated the report in August 2018, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced a time-bound SIT probe Scroll. A fresh Kotkapura FIR, including attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy, was registered on 7 August 2018 Tribune. In September 2018 the state withdrew the sacrilege cases from the CBI Tribune, which in 2019 filed a closure report finding no incriminating evidence against Dera followers LiveLaw.
The SIT arrested former SSP Charanjit Sharma in January 2019 and IGP Umranangal in February 2019 Tribune. In January 2021 it filed a supplementary chargesheet against Saini and Umranangal in the Behbal Kalan case, relying on 22 phone calls between them Tribune.
On 9 April 2021 the High Court quashed the Kotkapura probe led by IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, saying his "personal malice and mala fide functioning" had been demonstrated, and ordered a new SIT without him The Leaflet. Amarinder Singh called that probe "totally fair, impartial and unbiased" PTI via Deccan Herald. New SITs were formed under ADGP LK Yadav for Kotkapura and IG Naunihal Singh for Behbal Kalan The Leaflet. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh later became an AAP MLA IANS via Deccan Herald.
On 24 February 2023 the Yadav SIT filed a 7,000-page Kotkapura chargesheet. It named Sukhbir Badal and Saini as "masterminds" of a conspiracy to use excessive force on a peaceful dharna, and said Parkash Singh Badal, Umranangal, Chahal and Sharma facilitated it Tribune. Sukhbir's counsel, RS Cheema, told the court the SIT was "falsely projecting" non-existent incriminating circumstances Tribune.
The protests that followed
A 192-day "Insaaf Morcha" at Bargari, led by Dhian Singh Mand, ended on 9 December 2018 after ministers promised to cancel cases against Sikhs and compensate those injured in the firing Tribune. Sukhraj Singh began a dharna at Behbal Kalan on 16 December 2021. In October 2022 Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan sought 45 days to deliver justice Tribune.
In December 2024 the Akal Takht imposed religious punishment on Sukhbir Badal. He acknowledged his failure to punish those behind the Bargari sacrilege and the police officials responsible for the firings The Wire.
Outcome so far
- Sacrilege trial: The state SIT named Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh as key conspirator LiveLaw. After co-accused Pardeep Singh Kataria was shot dead in November 2022, the Supreme Court moved the trial to Chandigarh. It resumed in November 2024 after the Supreme Court lifted a High Court stay Tribune.
- Behbal Kalan trial: Moved from Faridkot to Chandigarh by the High Court on 31 May 2024 on Charanjit Sharma's plea citing threats Tribune LiveLaw. The Supreme Court rejected the state's plea to bring it back in April 2025 Tribune.
- Kotkapura trial: Charge-framing hearings resumed in Faridkot in February 2025 after an eight-month gap Tribune. On 9 April 2026 the High Court moved the trials to Chandigarh, where Sukhbir Badal appeared on 12 May 2026 Tribune.
- Convictions: None reported in the sacrilege or firing cases as of October 2026.
Where things stand in 2026
In June 2026 a Chandigarh court noted that the SIT had not filed a clear status report on pending investigation despite repeated directions, and ordered one by 18 July 2026 Tribune. A reconstituted SIT under DIG Harjeet Singh has recreated events at Bargari and Behbal Kalan and questioned former officials and leaders Sunday Guardian. BJP leader Vijay Sampla appeared on 23 June and 7 July; he said he was never given a certified copy of the memorandum he was asked about PTI via ThePrint.
Claim · AAP AAP leader Baltej Singh Pannu said in June 2026 that former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh told the SIT that Sukhbir Badal accepted responsibility for the Behbal Kalan firing at the Akal Takht. Badal accused the former jathedar of acting for AAP News Arena. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann told a rally, "Sukhbir, now it is your turn" Sunday Guardian.
On 20 July 2026 the SIT questioned Sukhbir Badal for over two hours. He said it was his fourth summons, that he was not afraid of arrest, and that the questioning was "just a media gimmick" Tribune. Earlier he said: "Ten years have passed and not even a chargesheet has been filed" Sunday Guardian.
Questions people ask
Who was killed in the Behbal Kalan firing?
Krishan Bhagwan Singh and Gurjit Singh were killed when police fired on protesters at Behbal Kalan on 14 October 2015. At Kotkapura the same morning, several protesters were injured but no one was killed.
What did the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission find?
It found the Kotkapura force "unwarranted, uncalled for and not needed at all" and held then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini and several senior officers responsible. Its supplementary report said the Chief Minister's office was "apparently kept in the loop", though The Tribune reported it did not hold Parkash Singh Badal responsible with certainty.
Is Sukhbir Badal an accused?
Yes, in the Kotkapura case. The February 2023 SIT chargesheet named him and Saini as alleged masterminds, and he is facing trial proceedings in Chandigarh. In the Behbal Kalan case he has been questioned four times; in June and July 2026 both AAP and Badal said no chargesheet had been filed against him there. He denies wrongdoing.
Why were the trials moved to Chandigarh?
Accused persons argued they faced threats in Faridkot. The Supreme Court moved the sacrilege trial in 2023 after a co-accused was killed, and the High Court moved the Behbal Kalan trial in 2024 and the Kotkapura trials in April 2026.
Has anyone been convicted?
No conviction has been reported in the sacrilege cases or the firing cases as of October 2026, eleven years after the events.
Sources
- Tribune: Police uncover foreign hand behind sacrilege, 21 Oct 2015
- Deccan Herald: Two detained over sacrilege released, 3 Nov 2015
- Tribune: Zora Singh report questions police role, 2 July 2016
- Newslaundry: What's the truth behind the leaked report on Guru Granth Sahib's desecration?, 3 Feb 2017
- Tribune: Panel indicts ex-DGP Saini, 31 July 2018
- Tribune: Panel indicts SAD-BJP, but doesn't blame Badal, 19 Aug 2018
- Scroll: Amarinder Singh says police will investigate sacrilege, firing cases, 29 Aug 2018
- DailyO: Why tabling the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report puts SAD on the back foot, 30 Aug 2018
- Scroll: Navjot Sidhu releases CCTV footage of 2015 Kotkapura police action, 6 Sept 2018
- Tribune: Bargari Insaaf Morcha called off as govt steps in, 10 Dec 2018
- Tribune: SIT arrests IGP Umranangal in Behbal Kalan firing case, 19 Feb 2019
- Tribune: SIT arrests ex-SHO in Kotkapura firing case, 26 June 2020
- Tribune: Behbal Kalan firing: Cops charged with fabricating evidence, 3 July 2020
- Tribune: Chargesheet filed against Saini, Umranangal in police firing case, 16 Jan 2021
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Punjab to challenge HC order in 2015 Kotkapura incident, 10 Apr 2021
- The Leaflet: Six years on, sacrilege pot still boiling in Punjab, 7 June 2021
- IANS via Deccan Herald: Sukhbir Badal not to appear before Punjab SIT on August 30, 30 Aug 2022
- Tribune: Behbal Kalan Insaaf Morcha demands resignation of Speaker Sandhwan, 2 Dec 2022
- Tribune: SIT indicts Badals, ex-DGP Sumedh Saini in Kotkapura case, 25 Feb 2023
- LiveLaw: Supreme Court transfers Bargari trial against Gurmeet Ram Rahim and 7 Dera followers to Chandigarh, 28 Feb 2023
- Tribune: SIT falsely projecting Sukhbir Badal's proximity to Dera head: Counsel, 3 Mar 2024
- Tribune: High Court transfers Behbal Kalan police firing case to Chandigarh, 1 June 2024
- LiveLaw: Punjab and Haryana High Court transfers Behbal Kalan firing case to Chandigarh, 3 June 2024
- Tribune: Supreme Court paves the way for trial in sacrilege cases against Dera chief, 19 Oct 2024
- Tribune: Trial against Dera chief in sacrilege cases begins in Chandigarh court, 28 Nov 2024
- The Wire: Shiromani Akali Dal leadership held guilty of religious misconduct, 2 Dec 2024
- Tribune: Proceedings resume in Kotkapura police firing case, Badal again in spotlight, 3 Feb 2025
- Tribune: Hearing resumes on framing of charges against Sukhbir, others, 4 Feb 2025
- Tribune: Victim's kin slam state govt after SC rejects plea to shift trial back to Faridkot, 19 Apr 2025
- The Pioneer: From Bargari to Baisakhi: Why sacrilege still shapes Punjab's political destiny, 2026
- Tribune: Kotkapura firing case: Sukhbir Badal appears before Chandigarh court after trial transfer, 12 May 2026
- Tribune: Chandigarh court seeks status report on pending probe in Kotkapura firing case, 5 June 2026
- News Arena: Badal accepted responsibility before Akal Takht, claims AAP, 11 June 2026
- PTI via ThePrint: Sampla accuses AAP of diverting attention after SIT appearance, 7 July 2026
- Sunday Guardian: Sukhbir Badal faces SIT questioning in sacrilege probe, 18 July 2026
- Tribune: SIT questions SAD chief Sukhbir Badal for over two hours, 20 July 2026