Chandigarh -Deadlock continues between the Sikh religious leaders and the Parkash Singh Badal government over immediate release of brothers Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh arrested in the Bargari sacrilege case and presently under judicial custody.
Sikh parcharaks led by Baba Ranjit Singh Dhandrianwale and Panthpreet Singh, on Saturday sent a bowl of blood to Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal as a mark of protest against the recent incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab and the killing of two protesters in police firing at Behbal Kalan in Kotkapura town of Faridkot district.
The Sikh activists also announced that they would ‘gherao’ Akali leaders, including ministers, in their respective constituencies on November 3 to register their protest.
Hundreds of activists, who were headed from Fatehgarh Sahib to Badal’s residence as part of their protest, were stopped near Yadavindra Public School on the SAS Nagar-Chandigarh barrier late on Friday night. Akali leader Prem Singh Chandumajra and state finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa met five representatives of the protesters but left at 10.30pm after talks failed over the issue of a lie detector test on the two youths arrested for the sacrilege incident at Bargari village in Faridkot. Dhandrianwale and Panthpreet were adamant that the two arrested youths should not be put through the lie detector test “that has no authenticity”.
“Take our blood instead of taking the blood of the people of Punjab,” the two leaders said, explaining that the act to collect blood through syringes was a part of the resolution that the Sikh organisations had adopted at the Bargari congregation on October 25, seeking an impartial probe into the incidents of sacrilege. The leaders also demanded the arrest and naming of the policemen who opened fire on the two protesters at Behbal Kalan and the release of the two youths that the Punjab police had arrested in one such sacrilege case.
“We have done what we decided in the resolution at Bargari, and collecting blood is a strong message to the government that we are ready for any sacrifice. Let the government take our blood instead of sucking the blood of the people of Punjab,” Dhadrianwale said before handing over the bowl of blood to the police.
Besides Dhadrianwale and Panthpreet, those at the dharna till 2.30am were Daler Singh Kheriwale, Amrik Singh Ajnalawale and Baljit Singh Daduwal.
Earlier, Chandumajra told the activists that the government would review the special investigation team (SIT) notified to probe the entire matter. He assured them that the inquiry commission of Justice (retd) Zora Singh would start functioning soon.