SGPC preacher slams Warring’s remarks on youths in police custody

Sarabjit Singh Dhotian, head preacher of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), has condemned remarks made by Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who suggested killing youths, labelled as gangsters, in police custody through illegal means such as poisoning, electric shocks and snake bites. Warring’s comments also included allegations of falsely implicating the victims’ families in murder cases.

Addressing mediapersons, Dhotian described the comments as indicative of the cruel mindset within the Congress leadership, which, he claimed, has historically caused suffering to the Sikh community. He said current Congress leaders appeared to be following the same path once again.

“If Raja Warring’s intentions truly align with such ideas, the people of Tarn Taran will never allow such actions to come to fruition,” Dhotian said.

The SGPC head stressed that young people who have fallen into the trap of drugs and gangster culture — issues exacerbated by successive governments — should be rehabilitated through legal and social reform, not through unlawful killings.

Dhotian raised a question: “If leaders like Raja Warring advocate for extrajudicial killings, what is the purpose of law and courts in this country?”

Accusing political leaders of creating and supporting gangsterism for their own benefit, Dhotian claimed once their political goals were met, these leaders seek to eliminate those they have used. He also urged the public to demand legislation that would punish any political leader found guilty of supporting or sheltering criminals.

The remarks have sparked a renewed debate on the rising issue of gangsterism and the role of political figures in addressing it.