Table Justice Gurnam Singh panel report in Budget session: Sikh outfits

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 10

Observing the 33rd anniversary of the killing of four Sikh youths Ravinder Singh, Harminder Singh, Jhilman Singh and Baldhir Singh, functionaries of various Sikh organisations and political leaders demanded from Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh that the report of the Justice Gurnam Singh Commission – made to probe their killings – be tabled in the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament.

The demand was made during an event held at their native Litran village today wherein the leaders also declared that they would also challenge the decision by the Nawanshahr court of sentencing three Sikh youths to life imprisonment for anti-national activities.

AAP’s Kotkapura MLA Kultar Singh said the AAP would raise the Nakodar desecration incident issue in the state Assembly. He said the party was committed to make the Congress government present the aforesaid commission’s report in Parliament.

Prof Baljinder Singh and Narain Singh Chaura, both members of the five-member-committee appointed by Jagtar Singh Hawara who was declared the officiating Akal Takht Jathedar under Sarbat Khalsa, demanded that the Justice Gurnam Singh Commission report be made public, failing which they would approach the high court over the same.

They also exhorted PEP founder Sukhpal Khaira to raise the issue of the youths – of whom deceased Baldhir Singh was of Khaira’s own Ramgarh village.

Litran village sarpanch Rupinder Singh appealed to Sikh organisations not to let the issue die down. He said of the four youths who died defending the cause of Guru Granth Sahib, Baldev Singh, father of Bhai Ravinder Singh, had been coming to the village every year to observe their death anniversary.

The sisters of three of the deceased youths were honoured by Baldev Singh Litran, the Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and the panchayat of Litran on the occasion.

Baldev Singh Litran said barring late Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Wadala, none of the Akali Dal leaders came to his house to offer condolences on his son’s demise. He said the then Jalandhar SSP Mohd Izhaar Alam and Additional Deputy Commissioner Darbara Singh Guru, who failed to pursue justice for them, enjoyed plump posts in the SAD.

The four youths were killed on February 4, 1986, in a police firing while opposing the burning of five birs of Guru Granth Sahib at Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara in Guru Nank Pura Mohalla.