CHANDIGARH: Punjab-born former premier of Canada’s British Columbia (BC) province, Ujjal Dev Dosanjh, has written an open letter to the Chief Justice of Indian (CJI) S A Bobde to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the violence that erupted at the Red Fort on January 26. Dosanjh, who is also an ex-attorney general of BC and former federal minister, has asked the CJI Bobde to “investigate the probability of the criminal conspiracy including the probable involvement of high officials of the government being involved in it.”
He has mentioned, “It is quite evident from the publicly available information that the disturbance at the Red Fort was caused by rogue elements illegitimately claiming to represent the peaceful and disciplined Samyukat Kisan Morcha. The substantial preponderance of evidence provides reasonable and probable grounds to believe that the events at the Red Fort were the culmination of a criminal conspiracy to cause the disturbance with the clear purpose and intent of undermining one of the largest and longest non-violent protest campaigns in the history of the country. Further, there are reasonable and probable grounds to believe that the rogue elements may have been aided and abetted by the leadership of the Government of India and its security establishment including the police.”
Dosanjh, the first India-origin premier of a Canadian province, has urged the CJI, “Though a son, grandson, a great grandson and great great and so on of Indian peasants I make no comment on the merits or demerits of the impugned farm laws or the Samyukat Kisan Morcha itself since that is not the objective of my letter. I write to urge you to immediately act to establish the Special Investigation Team as above to investigate the probability of the criminal conspiracy including the probable involvement of high officials of the government being involved in it. (Sic)”
Speaking about the letter, the 74-year-old Liberal Party leader, who was the premier of BC from February 24, 2000 to June 5, 2001, told TOI, “Being born and raised in India, I am looking forward to a peaceful resolution to this protest as it concerns mainly small and medium farmers. I am worried about the implanting of spikes and barbed wires on the borders of Delhi. People of India should be free to go anywhere in the country. Also, they should be able to walk or ride to Delhi. India got independence from its colonial masters but is yet to get freedom. One should be able to move and demonstrate freely in a country. I am saying this as India is my mother country.”