Bathinda, September 11: Various religious and political outfits protesting in Bargari on Tuesday held a meeting and decided to take up the issue of the release of Sikh prisoners with the state and the Union governments.
They hinted that the protest would be lifted if the government conceded their demand.
Addressing a press conference, SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjeet Singh Mann said, “The state government and the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission have addressed a majority of the issues raised by us. The only issue remaining is that of the release of the Sikh prisoners. There is a provision under Article 161 of the Constitution under which the President and the Governor can curtail the sentence of a prisoner. For the Sikh prisoners lodged in Punjab jails, the state government may recommend their release to the Governor while for those lodged in jails of other states, we will request the Union government to counsel the President to facilitate their release.”
He said they had discussed the issue threadbare in the meeting of various organisations on Tuesday and they would now approach parallel Akal Takht Jathedar Dhian Singh Mand who will take a final decision on ending the protest. The Sikh leaders accompanying Mann said they had also urged the government to explore the option of temporary parole.
Later, talking to the mediapersons, radical Sikh leader Baljit Singh Daduwal said various complaints had been lodged against SAD MP Balwinder Singh Bhunder for terming ex-CM Parkash Singh Badal a ‘badshah darvesh’, but no case had been registered against him, which proved “complete connivance between CM Captain Amarinder Singh and the Badals”.
He accused the Badals of spreading a false propaganda that Bargari morcha leaders may disturb peace in Punjab and said the Badals were themselves a threat to the peace and communal harmony in the state.
Source Tribune India
