Bargari ‘Insaaf Morcha’ called off as govt steps in

BARGARI (FARIDKOT): Winding up the 192-day “Insaaf Morcha” at Bargari to press for action against those responsible for the acts of sacrilege in 2015, “parallel acting Akal Takht jathedar” Dhian Singh Mand today said he had not reached a “tactical understanding with the Punjab government. We are not ending the morcha but entering a new phase of struggle for greater success”.

Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa addressing a gathering at Bargari ‘Insaaf Morcha’ on Sunday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service
Bargari (Faridkot), December 9

Winding up the 192-day “Insaaf Morcha” at Bargari to press for action against those responsible for the acts of sacrilege in 2015, “parallel acting Akal Takht jathedar” Dhian Singh Mand today said he had not reached a “tactical understanding with the Punjab government. We are not ending the morcha but entering a new phase of struggle for greater success”.

He said the next phase would be announced after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple on Tuesday.

Even as the gathering seemed unimpressed, Mand explained they had modified their strategy in the “larger interests of the Panth to force those resisting the arrest of the people behind sacrilege cases, action against police officials who opened fire at Behbal Kalan and release of Sikh prisoners to give in”.

Before Mand’s announcement, Congress ministers Sukhjinder Randhawa and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa told the protesters that the demands of their leaders had been accepted. Not convinced, people began to walk away even as Panthic leaders Simranjit Singh Mann (SAD-Amritsar chief) and Baljit Singh Daduwal tried to mollify the crowd.

Randhawa and Bajwa assured that the government had decided to cancel the cases registered against Sikhs under Section 295-A of the IPC (hurting religious sentiments) on the complaint of Dera Sacha Sauda followers, to rechristen Bargari as Bargari Sahib and award compensation to those injured in the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura police firing.

“All 23 culprits in the sacrilege cases have been arrested. A battery of senior lawyers will oppose the stay on the arrest of four police officers held ‘guilty’ of police firing,” Randhawa tried to convince the gathering.

On the Sikh prisoners, he claimed the government would introduce a Bill to ensure their release or transfer to Punjab.

When Daduwal pointed out that the protesters wanted to see the Badals arrested in sacrilege cases, the minister said an SIT was probing their role.