Coming together to launch a frontal attack on the injustice and blasphemy of the Sirsa Dera and its chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, three Panthic bodies -Dal Khalsa, Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar and the United Akali Dal have sought trial of the Sirsa Dera head for sacrilege and Maur bomb blasts and have planned a peoples’ protest all around Punjab on 15 August, later this month.

IN its resolve to fight against injustices and enslavement, three Panthic organizations -Dal Khalsa, Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar and United Akali Dal will hold protest demonstrations all around Punjab on August 15, coinciding with India’s 72nd Independence day and holding the day as a day of protest.

The protests will focus on continued loot of river waters of Punjab, strong resistance against the draconian legislative amendments to make UAPA more stringent and draconian giving unbridled powers to NIA by infringing state’s rights, misuse of the laws of sedition, release of four police convicts through a state pardon, denial of justice to Sikh detainees and the denial of right to self-determination to the people of Punjab.

Furthermore, the closure report by the CBI in the Barghari sacrilege case is yet another cause of concern and anger amongst the Sikh population of Punjab.

At a recent meeting of the three bodies attended among others by Kanwar Pal Singh, Jasbir Singh Khandur, Paramjit Singh Tanda, Prof Mohinder Pal Singh, Jaskaran Singh Kahansinghwala,  Gurdeep Singh Bhatinda, Bahadur Singh Nawanshahr and SYP president Paramjit Singh Mand resolved to take this joint step.

Addressing a press conference, Kanwar Pal Singh said the protests will be a reiteration of our aspiration to be free and to uphold the legitimate rights including the right to self-determination of the people of Punjab.

The protest program will be organised in  Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Bhatinda, Mansa, Ferozpur,Faridkot, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Chandigarh, Moga, Barnala and Tarn Taran.

Taking a strong view of conflicting and self-contradicting statements by Captain Amrinder Singh and Sukhbir Singh Badal on sacrilege issue and CBI report, Kanwarpal Singh told the media that the chief minister lacks will power to crack the case and expose the real conspirators. Even the victims of Maur Bomb blast cry for justice but the CM has turned his back on them too because he knows that the conspiracy leads to Sirsa.

The Panthic bodies demanded that the Dera Sirsa Chief should be interrogated and prosecuted in the various cases of sacrilege and the Maur Bomb blast case.

The Chief Minister asking the CBI to reinvestigate the sacrilege case goes against the spirit of the Vidhan Sabha that passed the resolution to withdraw the probe from the central agency.

Pointing out the failure of Punjab government to prosecute former DGP SS Saini in the Bebhal Kalan firing, party leaders said the reports clearly indicate that the police hierarchy has arm-twisted the political class to defend their men who ordered unprovoked firing on Sikh Sangat.

Will the faith of the public be restored in rule of law with the government’s dilly-dallying and partisan approach?