The protracted legal saga surrounding the sacrilege-related police firing incidents at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, which resulted in the deaths of two protesters over ten years ago, faces a new challenge as the key police officers linked to the case retire from service. The quest for justice for the victims' families remains entangled in a web of delayed trials and procedural transfers.
A Timeline of Retirements and a Stalled Probe
The latest officer to step down is 1995-batch IPS officer Paramraj Singh Umranangal, who retired on Wednesday, December 31, 2025. Umranangal, who was the Commissioner of Police in Ludhiana during the Kotkapura incident, had a tumultuous service period, remaining under suspension for over five years. He was reinstated only in July 2024 following orders from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
He joins a list of senior officers connected to the case who have already retired. This includes former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini (1982-batch), who was the Punjab police chief during the incidents and retired in June 2018. Former IG Amar Singh Chahal (1990-batch), the DIG at the time of Kotkapura, retired in 2019, and PPS officer Charanjit Singh Sharma, the then SSP of Moga, retired on April 30, 2017.
Recounting the Fateful Events of October 2015
The chain of events began on the morning of October 12, 2015, when torn pages of the Bir of Guru Granth Sahib were discovered scattered on the streets of Bargari village in Faridkot. This act of sacrilege triggered massive protests. A large congregation (sangat) assembled at Light Point Chowk in Kotkapura and stayed through the night of October 13.
In the early hours of October 14, 2015, tensions escalated into a clash. Police responded with a cane charge and opened fire, injuring several protesters, including Ajit Singh who sustained a bullet wound in his thigh. Later the same day, at Behbal Kalan village, police firing claimed the lives of two protesters: Krishan Bhagwan Singh and Gurjit Singh.
The Long Road to Justice: Transferred Trials and Family Anguish
While the trials initiated in Faridkot district courts and chargesheets were filed, the legal process has been slow and complex. In a significant development, the trial for the Behbal Kalan police firing case was transferred to the sessions court in Chandigarh from Faridkot on May 31, 2024. Meanwhile, the trial for the Kotkapura case remains in the Faridkot sessions court, awaiting the outcome of transfer applications pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
This prolonged delay has taken a heavy toll on the families of the victims. Sukhraj Singh, son of the slain Krishan Bhagwan Singh, voiced the collective frustration, stating, "We are waiting for justice, which is eluding us, and officers are getting retired. The state government should request the courts to speed up the trials so that we could get justice." His words underscore the growing concern that the retirement of key accused officers could further complicate the already delayed proceedings, leaving the families in a state of perpetual wait.
