‘Big powers are responsible, not just Dera Sacha Sauda followers’

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Sikhs abroad feel that there has been discrimination with Sikhs in India. This is right as Sikhs have had to fight for rights in period after independence as well. SUKHPAL KHAIRA, AAP MLA and leader of opposition

FARIDKOT : Saying that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) firmly backed the parallel jathedars’ protest seeking justice for the Guru Granth Sahib desecration in June 2015, leader of opposition, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, along with seven other of his party MLAs, joined the protest for the second time on Saturday. Over 1,500 supporters are now present at the protest site.

“For the sacrilege, big powers that are against Sikhism (panth) are responsible and not just normal Dera Sacha Sauda followers. The government must disclose exact facts before the public,” he told the gathering. It was on June 1, 2015, that the holy book was allegedly stolen from a gurdwara of Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and later found desecrated here.

Giving a ‘Panthic’ angle to his address, he added, “If in Punjab (where the Sikhs are in the majority), there is no justice for Bargari and the Behbal Kalan firing even after three years then where do we hope for justice?”

Khaira went on to claim, “Sikhs abroad feel that there has been discrimination with Sikhs in India. This is right because Sikhs have had to fight for their right during the post-independence period as well, starting from ‘Punjabi Suba Morcha’. At that time, there was discrimination on the distribution of river water by the central government.” Kotkapura member of legislative assembly Kultar Singh Sandhwan said, “We support the of honest people and believe in one nation.”

Parallel acting jathedar of the Akal Takht, Dhian Singh Mand said, “The state government has to come to Bargari with a solution to our demands and then take a call. We repeat our demands that the perpetrators of the June 2015 Bargari sacrilege incident and those responsible for the death of the two protesters in Behbal Kalan be brought to book.”

The protesters are also demanding the release of Sikh prisoners who have served their sentences and shifting of militant Jagtar Singh Hawara, convicted for the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in August 1995, from Tihar jail. Nihal Singh Wala legislator Manjit Singh Bilaspur refused to comment on Khaira’s statement on ‘Referendum 2020’.