Sikh bodies announce ‘morcha’ from July 1

FARIDKOT : Sikh organisations, including hardliners, on Tuesday announced to start a morcha from July 1 if the Punjab government failed to arrest those responsible for the 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents.

Marking the sixth anniversary of sacrilege incident at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village, Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (ad hoc) president Baljit Singh Daduwal said the desecration was unfortunate and successive governments failed to provide justice.

The event was held at the Bargari gurdwara.

“The Bargari Morcha was lifted on the Congress government’s assurance. First it was the Badals and now it’s Captain Amarinder Singh who failed to rise to the occasion. We are giving one-month time to the government to put the guilty of sacrilege and police firing behind the bars,” he said.

“The investigation officers made efforts to provide justice. We have full faith in special investigation team (SIT). All the witnesses will give them full support. But we don’t trust Amarinder Singh,” he added.

Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann said, “We demand arrest of (former chief minister) Parkash Singh Badal, (Shiromani Akali Dal president) Sukhbir Badal and (EX-DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini for their involvement in sacrilege and police firing. In view of the Covid-19 outbreak, I ask the sangat to reach the morcha venue in an 11-member group each from all the districts every day. The groups will go back in the evening.”

Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) leaders led by party president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and patron Ranjit Singh Bramhpura reached the Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village gurdwara and held an ardas. Daduwal also joined the SAD (Sanyukt) leaders during the ardas before reaching Bargari. But they did not address the gathering.