Sukhbir Badal and Akali Dal Must Clarify Their Stand on the Case of Rozy Barkandi's Brother: Baltej Pannu

Chandigarh(The Uttam Hindu): Reacting to the case involving the brother of Shiromani Akali Dal’s former MLA Rozy Barkandi, who allegedly issued a contract to have someone murdered in the United States, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) targeted Akali leaders and accused them of promoting corruption and crime.

AAP leader Baltej Pannu said that Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal and former MLA Rozy Barkandi, who was considered very close to him, must clarify their stand on the issue and publicly apologize to the people of Punjab for the actions of Barkandi’s brother.

Pannu stated that in Tracy, California, Rozy Barkandi’s brother and his two accomplices, Jagninder Singh Boparai and Ramesh Kumar Birla, offered a man $6,000 on February 20, 2023, at a coffee shop to have someone’s arms and legs broken. A few days later, the man gave them photos showing how he had broken the victim's limbs.

Subsequently, Shaminder Singh Sandhu and his two friends asked the same person whether he could do something “bigger.” When the person agreed, they offered him a contract on February 17, 2024, to murder someone in exchange for $10,000. However, it was later revealed that the person they were dealing with was actually an undercover FBI agent. All three were arrested, and during interrogation, Shaminder Singh Sandhu confessed to the crime. He is scheduled to be sentenced by a U.S. court on August 7.

Pannu said it is extremely unfortunate that from 2007 to 2017, during the Akali Dal regime in Punjab, these people wreaked havoc, and now even after losing power, they are involved in issuing contracts for murder and abduction abroad. “This is their true character,” he said.

He added that during Rozy Barkandi’s tenure as MLA from Muktsar Sahib, he was infamous for large-scale illegal mining. In his area, people didn’t call him Rozy but referred to him as "Retta Barkandi", due to his mining activities. He carried out all these illegal acts under the patronage of Sukhbir Badal and continues to remain very close to him. Therefore, Sukhbir Badal cannot escape responsibility in this matter.