Akali Dal gears up for Maghi Mela conference

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, January 10

As the Congress and AAP are not holding political conferences on Maghi Mela on January 14, the annual event is likely to remain a low-key affair this time.

Even the police have decreased its deployment from 6,000 cops in the past to nearly 3,300 cops this year. A large number of policemen from neighbouring districts arrived here today converting the town into a fortress.

Meanwhile, the entertainment part of the annual mela began today on the Malout road.

This year just two political parties — SAD (Badal) and SAD (Amritsar) — are holding political conferences on January 14. However, a religious group, Dhan Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee, has announced to oppose the political conferences, saying that religious event should be kept free from politics. They have even given a memorandum to the police and the district administration in this regard.

However, Muktsar MLA Kanwarjit Singh ‘Rozy Barkandi’, who is SAD’s Muktsar district president, said, “The Akal Takht has not put a ban on holding conference on Maghi Mela. We are holding the conference on Malout road, making sitting arrangements for nearly 50,000 people in the 1.25-lakh sq ft ground. Besides, we have made parking lots in 18 acres.”

Sushil Kumar, SSP, Muktsar, said, “There is no point of not allowing political parties to hold their conferences. We have made elaborate security arrangements by deploying 3,300 cops.”