Police annul FIR against Simranjit Mann, 19 others for Sarbat Khalsa

: Amritsar police have annulled the First-Information Report (FIR) registered against organisers of the Sarbat Khalsa that was held in the Chabba village of the district on November 10, 2015. The Chatiwind police had booked 20 people, including Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann and United Akali Dal (UAD) chief Mohkam Singh, after finding in a probe that during the religious function, its organisers had made anti-national speeches. Mann and Mohkam were the key organisers of the event.

The SAD (A) and the UAD had given a call for the Sarbat Khalsa after the five Takht heads, including the Akal Takht jathedar, had done a flip-flop on pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Jagtar Singh Hawara, a convict in the Beant Singh assassination case, was appointed the jathedar of the Akal Takht, at the meeting.

Those booked were Simranjit Singh Mann; Dhian Singh Mand; Jaskaran Singh Kahan Singh Wala; Mohkam Singh; Gurdip Singh Bathinda; Satnam Singh Manawan; Wassan Singh Jaffarwal; Gurjinder Singh; Baljit Singh Daduwal; Amrik Singh Ajnala; Surinder Singh Thikriwal; Joga Singh Mohalke; Pappalpreet Singh Mardi; Resham Singh (USA), Surjit Singh (USA), Paramjit Singh (UK), Gurbhej Singh (USA), Harinder Singh (USA), Baljinder Singh (Italy) and Wadhawa Singh Babbar.

SSP Parampal Singh confirmed that the FIR had been quashed as per the recommendation of the justice Mehtab Singh Gill commission. He added, “The report of annulment of the FIR has been sent to the commission.”

MANN HAD WRITTEN TO JUSTICE MEHTAB GILL COMMISSION

“Mann had written to the Justice Mehtab Singh Gill Commission, set up for looking into false cases registered during the past decade of the SAD-BJP government, and demanded the annulment of the FIR,” said SAD (A) general secretary, Jarnail Singh Sakhira. He added that no one had made any hate speech or anti-national speeches during the religious congregation.

The 20 people had been booked under sections 124-A (sedition), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 153-B (assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 115 (abetment of offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life), 117 (abetting commission of offence by the public or by more than ten persons), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and section 13 (1) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967 and Section 66-F of the Information Technology Act.