In Amritsar, Arvind Kejriwal faces protest over Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar's release

Amritsar, January 30

Premature release of Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar, convicted of the 1993 Delhi bomb blast, may be a possibility soon as AAP national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal today promised to take up the issue on a priority basis. Kejriwal along with AAP’s CM face Bhagwant Mann was addressing a press conference here today amid a protest by various Sikh organisations seeking Bhullar’s release.

The protesters raised slogans and attempted to intercept Kejriwal as he left the venue. Earlier, Kejriwal said the next meeting of the Sentence Review Board would have the Bhullar issue on the agenda. “After learning about this sensitive issue, which is being raked up politically by Opposition parties, I have asked the Home Secretary to ensure the Bhullar issue comes up at the next meeting. I assure you that a discussion on the issue will be held on a priority basis. Thereafter, the file will go to the Lieutenant-Governor for the final nod, as law and order does not come under me,” he said. Kejriwal said if voted to power, the pictures of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh would be installed in all government offices, instead of the CM and any political leader.

“Our freedom fighters sacrificed their lives to liberate the country. But today we are forgetting their ideals. In order to remember the sacrifices and ideals of the two great freedom fighters, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh, we had announced in Delhi on January 26 that their pictures will be put in the office of the CM and all government offices. We will follow suit in Punjab too,” he said. — TNS

Matter at next review meet

A discussion will be held on a priority basis at the next Sentence Review Board meeting. The file will then go to the L-G for final nod. — Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister