Behbal Kalan firing anniversary: Radicals, AAP MLAs accuse govt of delaying justice
KOTKAPURA: Sikh hardliners, along with Aam Aadmi Party’s mainstream and rebel leaders, staged a protest here on Sunday to observe third anniversary of Behbal Kalan firing.
The families of the firing victims — Krishan Bhagwan Singh and Gurjit Singh — also attended the event. Speakers blamed former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for firing and sacrilege incidents, and also accused the Congress government of delaying justice.
Sikh preachers Harjinder Singh Majhi, former Talwandi Sabo jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh, AAP MLAs Kultar Singh Sandhwan (Kotkapura), Aman Arora (Sunam), AAP rebels MLAs Pirmal Singh Dhaula (Bhadaur), Baldev Singh (Jaitu) and Jagdev Singh Kamalu (Maur) were present.
A few hundred of protesters attended the event on Sunday while police sealed the entry points to Kotkapura to avoid any kind of violence. More than 300 cops were on duty.
AAP MLA Aman Arora compared the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing incidents with Amritsar’s Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919.
Manjhi read out an open letter addressed to former CM Parkash Singh Badal, accusing him of misusing Sikh institutions.
Meanwhile, a SIT will record statements of witnesses of Bargari sacrilege and Behbal Kalan firing incidents on Tuesday at the police check post in Bargari.
‘LEGAL HURDLES BEHIND DELAY IN JUSTICE’
BARGARI/FARIDKOT: Cabinet ministers Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Singh Sukh Sarkaria and Faridkot MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon attended the functions.
They opted to stay away from the Bargari protest of parallel jathedars.
Bajwa said the matter had been delayed due to legal hurdles with regard to the probe, while the government was committed to give justice to the victim families.