Punjab Sacrilege Case: SIT interrogates Akshay Kumar for two hours

Chandigarh: Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar was summoned by Punjab Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) here on Wednesday in his alleged involvement in a deal, mediated by him between jailed Dera Sachha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

The interrogation started around 9.45 a.m. and went on for long two hours, a video was also recorded of the same.

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Akshay reached Chandigarh international airport earlier in the day, on a chartered flight from Mumbai. The actor drove straight to the state police headquarters in Sector 9, where he was interrogated.

The SIT asked Akshay about his relationship with the sect leader and Badal and if the Dera leader lived in the same locality in Mumbai as his, according to police sources.

The actor was questioned regarding his alleged involvement in organizing a Rs 100-crore deal between the Dera chief and former Punjab Deputy CM Badal in Mumbai in 2015 just days before the release of a film of Gurmeet Ram Rahim 'Messenger of God' (MSG).

Akshay not only dismissed all allegations charged against him but also challenged the SIT officials to show evidence of the allegations raised against him, according to a source.

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The 51-year-old actor said that he had great regard for the Sikh religion and would never do anything to dishonour or hurt it.

When the questioning ended, Akshay was shepherd to his vehicle through a side gate of the police premise to help him avoid the waiting media.

The Punjab Police SIT is probing sacrilege of the Sikh holy book the 'Guru Granth Sahib' and following firing on protesters in 2015, had summoned Khiladi Kumar earlier in November as a witness.

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Akshay has refuted all the allegations, terming them to be “rumors and false statements”.

“I have never ever met Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in my life, anywhere. I learnt from social media at some point that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh resided for a while at some place in my locality Juhu in Mumbai but we never ever crossed each other’s path,” Akshay had tweeted.

Sukhbir Badal also said in his statement on Tuesday: “I have never met Akshay Kumar outside Punjab.” who was interrogated by the SIT at the Punjab police headquarters on Monday.

He also told the SIT that he had not ordered firing on Sikh protesters agitating against the sacrilege incidents in October 2015.

The SIT was set up by the Amarinder government in September to probe the sacrilege cases and the firing ordered on those protesting the sacrilege in October 2015.