Hindustan Times (Bathinda)

Police remove SAD (A) morcha from Bargari

- Parteek Singh Mahal parteek.singh@htlive.com

MANN, OTHERS RELEASED LATER; AN FIR UNDER VARIOUS SECTIONS REGISTERED AGAINST THEM AT BAJAKHANA POLICE STATION

FARIDKOT: Police on Thursday removed a ‘morcha’ from Bargari village in Faridkot district hours after it was started by the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) over the Punjab government’s alleged failure to arrest those responsibl­e for the 2015 sacrilege and subsequent police firing incidents.

SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann, who started the morcha at 1pm, was arrested along with 40 of his supporters three hours later.

A case was registered against Mann and others under section 188 (disobeying orders promulgate­d by a public servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of a dangerous disease) of the Indian Penal Code, section 51 of the Disaster Management Act and section 3 of the Epidemic Disease Act at the Bajakhana police station.

Later, they were released on bail.

Earlier, Mann was stopped by the police in Faridkot city when he started a march to Bargari. Faridkot deputy commission­er Vimal Kumar Setia tried to persuade Mann, appealing him not to start the morcha but he refused.

On June 1, marking the sixth anniversar­y of the sacrilege incident at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village, Mann and Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (ad hoc) president Baljit Singh Daduwal had announced to start a morcha from July 1 if the Punjab government failed to arrest those responsibl­e for the sacrilege and police firing incidents.

“The state government has failed arrest people responsibl­e for the sacrilege and police firing. This is unfortunat­e that even after six years, Sikhs are waiting for justice. The sacrilege was done at the behest of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief. The then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his deputy Sukhbir Badal and then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini were also involved,” said Mann.

SAD (Amritsar) leader Jaskaran Singh Kahan Singh Wala said the ruling Congress is hand in the glove with the Akali Dal and that is the reason it are trying to save the Badals.

The other Sikh outfits, which were part of the 2018 Bargari Morcha, did not participat­e in Thursday’s protest. The 2018 Bargari Insaaf Morcha had ended after 193 days.

 ?? HT PHOTO ?? Police personnel removing a protester from the protest site at Bargari in Faridkot district on Thursday.
HT PHOTO Police personnel removing a protester from the protest site at Bargari in Faridkot district on Thursday.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India