Chandigarh: The issue of release of ‘Bandhi Singhs’ (Sikh prisoners) has suddenly gained momentum in Punjab with not only Sikh’s single largest representative body Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) convening a special meeting of Sikh political and religious organizations to strategize joint efforts for the release of prisoners lodged in jails even after completion of their sentences in different jails of the country but other Sikh bodies have also joined hands to take the issue to the national capital to draw the central government's attention.
On the directions of Sikhs' supreme temporal seat Akal Takht’s officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, the SGPC has called a special gathering at its headquarters at Teja Singh Samundari Hall on May 11 in which several other Sikh bodies are likely to participate to make efforts for the release of Sikh prisoners lodged in different Indian jails for the past nearly three decades.
The Sikh bodies, especially the SGPC, are resentful of the government giving furlough and parole to Kishori Lal, a convict in the 1984 Sikh genocide, and not showing any leniency to Sikh prisoners. "Sikh prisoners are not being released who have already served more than life imprisonment and they are being discriminated against,” alleged SGPC president Harjinder Singh while talking to Zee News.
Not just the SAD (B) expects to get political dividends by taking credit for the release of Sikh prisoners but other Sikh bodies also hope for the same. But one wonders why the BJP-led government at the Centre will allow other political parties to take the benefit and why will the saffron party not itself take the credit to earn the trust of Sikhs, especially those living in Punjab.
The issue has already been raised by the Hawara Committee, which was constituted by Jagtar Singh Hawara, an assassin of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. Hawara is presently lodged in the jail and in the past was elected as parallel Jathedar of Akal Takht by the radical Sikh bodies.
“But we have not received an invitation from SGPC to attend the May 11 meeting so far,” said Baljinder Singh, a member of Hawara Committee. Singh said they were not hopeful of the release of Sikh prisoners with the efforts of SAD(B) or the SGPC who, he said, were doing the same for taking political credit.
President of Delhi-based SAD (D) Paramjit Singh Sarna and Jag Aasra Guru Ott (JAGO) Manjit Singh GK, who had also been taking up the issue, have appealed to the Centre to ensure the release of ‘Bandhi Singhs’’.
Both Sarna and GK who are the former presidents of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee are likely to be the part of May 15 ‘Awareness Rally’ being taken out in Delhi for the release of Sikh prisoners.
Another Sikh body, Sikh Prisoners Release Front (Delhi)- PSPRF (D), has also given a call to take an ‘Awareness Rally’ in Delhi on May 15 to attract the attention of the BJP-led Central government.
Stating that the issue of release of Sikh prisoners is a Panthic issue, the executive member of PSPRF (D) Dr Parminderpal Singh necessitated the need for joint efforts for the release of Sikh prisoners but added that to date they have not received an invitation to attend the May 11 meeting from the SGPC.
