Action against Virk is not political vendetta: Badal

JALANDHAR: Refuting former Punjab police chief S S Virk's allegations, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said he was arrested "as per the law" and not out of political vindictiveness.

"The action against Virk is as per the law and there is no vindictiveness," he told here who asked his comments on the former police chief's allegations.
   
The former DGP was arrested on Saturday on charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, misuse of official position and harbouring former terrorist Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi alias Harjit Singh Kahlon.

Asked whether action would be taken against other police officials who rehabilitated terrorists during militancy in Punjab, Badal evaded a direct reply.

"I will not utter a single word on the case against Virk, as it may affect the investigation... I neither interfered nor will interfere in the inquiry of the Vigilance Department and everything will be done according to the law," he said.

When told it was common practice to offer to rehabilitate militants to get them to turn informers, the chief minister said "you always ask questions about Cats (militants-turned-informers), why you don't ask about rats".

Badal, who in the 1980s tore and burnt a copy of Article 25 of the Constitution which does not give a separate identity to Sikhism, also refused comment on whether SAD would support the proposed bill by former Minorities Commission chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Tirlochan Singh seeking its amendment.