Akal Takht Says No Point Meeting Bhagwant Mann To Seek Release of 'Bandi Singhs'

The jathedar (head) of the Sikh temporal seat Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj, has directed Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member Karnail Singh Panjoli to refrain from meeting Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann over the issue of release of Sikh political prisoners, citing that Mann has been declared "Guru Dokhi and Khalsa Panth Virodhi" ('enemy of the Sikh religion and the gurus').

In a letter to Panjoli, the secretariat of Akal Takht said the entire Panth needed to unite and launch an organised struggle to secure the release of the "Bandi Singhs".

The letter was issued in response to Panjoli's communication dated October 6, seeking permission to meet the CM.

Questioning the rationale behind meeting the CM, the jathedar's letter said that, as a member and representative of the SGPC, the Sikh religious Parliament, it was Panjoli's responsibility to comply with directives of the temporal seat. It said the Punjab government was politicising the issue, and thus participating in its efforts to advance such political interests would amount to turning one's back on the Akal Takht.

Panjoli was asked to consider whether the state government could secure the release of Sikh prisoners who had been incarcerated for three decades or more during the few months remaining in its tenure. Punjab, ruled by AAP, goes to polls by February.

The Akal Takht secretariat's letter also directed those, particularly Sikh personalities, who meet the CM to "ask their conscience whether a person described as Guru Dokhi could deliver justice to the Bandi Singhs". It said such attempts would hurt Sikh pride and dignity.

Describing the prisoners as warriors and heroes of the Sikh community, the letter said Sikhs had consistently raised their voice for their release.

It alleged that the Punjab government had taken no steps on the issue during its nearly five-year tenure and was now attempting to gain political mileage by offering assurances to Sikhs ahead of the Assembly elections.

The letter also raised the case of Davinderpal Singh Bhullar, who is serving a life term for a 1993 car bomb explosion in Delhi that killed nine people. The jathedar argued that the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government of the time, under Arvind Kejriwal, had failed to approve his release despite having the authority to decide the matter. It claimed that his file had either been rejected or kept pending at different stages.

Referring to Jagtar Singh Hawara, convicted for the 1995 killing of the then CM Benat Singh, the letter said his elderly and ailing mother had been waiting for a long time to meet her son, but he had not been granted parole for the meeting. Questioning the AAP's position, it alleged that while the state government had written in support of parole, "it also opposed it".

The letter further alleged that false cases had been registered against young Sikh men in Punjab, leading to their imprisonment; and reports of fake police encounters had also emerged. Describing these as serious human rights concerns, the letter said expecting such a government to protect the human rights of Sikh prisoners was futile.

The communication pointedly named Balwant Singh Rajoana, Jagtar Singh Hawara, Jagtar Singh Tara, Paramjit Singh Bheora and Gurdeep Singh Khera among those "whose release the Sikh community has been demanding". It also acknowledged the struggle being undertaken by the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha and said Sri Akal Takht Sahib supported its efforts.

The secretariat reiterated that all Panthic organisations needed to come together under the banner of the Takht to pursue the issue.

It cited the Tamil Nadu government's efforts to secure the release of convicts in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Also referring to the forensic examination of a controversial video involving the Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, the letter claimed that an attempt was subsequently made to challenge Sri Akal Takht Sahib through fabricated reports prepared in Gurugram. It added that Haryana Police had registered a case in connection with the alleged fabrication of the reports.