Sikh hardliners say no let-up in sacrilege cases

A ‘SHAHEEDI SAMAGAM’ WAS HELD AT TIBBI SAHIB GURDWARA AT BEHBAL KALAN VILLAGE; TWO SIKH PROTESTERS WERE KILLED IN POLICE FIRING ON OCT 14, 2015

FARIDKOT: On the fifth anniversary of the Behbal Kalan police firing episode, Sikh hardliners and other leaders on Wednesday expressed concern over “continued” incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab in the last five years.

They also asked the state government to push for the arrest of former director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini, who was recently named as an accused in the police firing cases and bring Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, an accused in the Bargari sacrilege case, on production warrants for interrogation.

A ‘shaheedi samagam’ was held at Tibbi Sahib Gurdwara at Behbal Kalan village to mark the anniversary in response to a call made by families of the victims of the police firing on October 14, 2015 that left two Sikh protesters dead during a protest against the Bargari sacrilege incident.

Sikh hardliners such as president of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (ad hoc) Baljit Singh Daduwal and Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh, besides Punjab Ekta Party president Sukhpal Singh Khaira, were among those who participated in the event.

They asked the state government to expedite the probe into both the sacrilege and police firing incidents so that the accused could be punished.

The differences among the Bargari Insaaf Morcha leaders surfaced again as parallel Akal Takht jathedar Dhian Singh Mand paid obeisance at gurdwara early morning and left before the event started. All the leaders at the event criticised Mand’s decision to lift the Bargari morcha in 2018, claiming it could have achieved a lot more had it continued.

Daduwal said, “Due to the Bargari morcha, the unidentified policemen were identified. Saini should be arrested and the police should ask him who ordered him to open fire on the protesters.”

“While the Dera Sacha Sauda committee members are absconding, the sect head is lodged at the Sunaria jail in Haryana. He should be brought on production warrant for interrogation to make him confess to his crime,” he added.