Khalsa met Hawara in Tihar Jail couple of days before death

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 21

Sikh activist Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, who reportedly committed suicide in Kurukshetra on Tuesday, had met Jagtar Singh Hawara, a “parallel” Akal Takht jathedar and a convict in the Beant Singh assassination case, a couple of days ago at the Tihar Jail in New Delhi.

According to Jaspal Singh Manjhpur, an advocate of Hawara, Khalsa had met Hawara to clarify his stand on the demand for the release of Sikh political prisoners. Khalsa had also sought an apology from Hawara as an Akal Takht jathedar if any of his action had hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. He had told Hawara he would start another hunger strike and not end his fast this time without getting the demand fulfilled.

Manjhpur told The Tribune that Khalsa was upset over a social media campaign against him. The campaign accused him of “minting” money in the name of his fight for justice for Sikh political prisoners.

Khalsa was the first to go on a hunger strike for the demand. He first sat on a hunger strike at Mohali three years ago. The then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had persuaded him to end his fast on the assurance that he would take up the matter further. Later, three prisoners in the Beant Singh assassination case — Gurmeet Singh, Shamsher Singh and Lakhwinder Singh — were released on parole.

Then, in 2016, he had sat on hunger strike at Ambala in Haryana to pursue the release of prisoners. At that time, he had relented when Manjit Singh GK, a senior Sikh leader from New Delhi, assured him that the matter was being pursued.

Manjhpur said he had a video-conference communication with Hawara on Wednesday, who told him about the meeting with Khalsa.