Ending sit-in at Bargari, Mand leaves for Amritsar

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, December 11

Two days after winding up the 192-day-old sit-in (Insaaf Morcha) at Bargari, Dhian Singh Mand, the parallel jathedar of the Akal Takht on Tuesday left for Amritsar to pay obeisance at Darbar Sahib.

He said the next meeting of the panthic leaders would be convened at Fatehgarh Sahib on December 20 to give new outlines of the next phase of struggle.

At the time of lifting the agitation, which was occupying the whole area of the grain procurement centre at Bargari since June 1, Mand was being accompanied by his supporters, including Jaskaran Singh Kahan Singh Wala, general secretary, SAD (Amritsar).

Dhian Singh Mand was the main leader of the Insaaf Morcha, started on June 1 demanding the arrest of the accused in sacrilege cases, action against guilty police officials who opened fire at peaceful protesters at Behbal Kalan and release or shifting of Sikh prisoners from the jails in different parts of the country to Punjab.

Amidst the talks of differences between the panthic leaders over calling off the morcha and many morcha leaders, including Baljit Singh Daduwal, being conspicuous by their absence at the time of ending of the morcha on Tuesday, Mand denied there were any differences among the leaders.

He claimed Daduwal was not present at Bargari due to his prior engagements.

However, in Behbal Kalan, Niamiwala, Bargari and Sarawan, the epicentre of the three-year-old sacrilege incidents and the aftermath, most of the residents were not agreeing with the calling off of over six-month old Insaaf Morcha without any substantial achievement in terms of their demands.

Sukhraj Singh, son of Bhagwan Krishan Singh, one of the deceased in police firing at Behbal Kalan, said though the Insaaf Morcha had been called off without any major victory, like many others, he had high hope from panthic leaders resuming the agitation with new strategy in the coming days to force the state government to meet all their demands.

Next meeting

• Mand said the next meeting of the panthic leaders would be convened at Fatehgarh Sahib on December 20 to give new outlines of the next phase of struggle. 
• Dhian Singh Mand was the main leader of the Insaaf Morcha, started on June 1 demanding the arrest of the accused in sacrilege cases.