Khalsa’s death: SHOs to be suspended, says Virk

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, March 23

Assandh MLA Bakhshish Singh Virk on Friday announced that Superintendent of Police Abhishek Garg and Pehowa DSP Dheeraj Kumar would be transferred in the wake of Sikh activist Gurbakash Singh Khalsa's suicide on Tuesday.

He also assured protesting Sikhs that SHOs of the Jhansa and Ismailabad police stations would be suspended, and a case of abetment to suicide would be registered against them.

Virk made the announcements at Thaska Ali village of the district. He went there on behalf of the government to end the stalemate over the cremation of Khalsa’s body.

Sarbat Khalsa leader Baljit Singh Daduwal, however, said Khalsa’s body would not be cremated till Sikh outfits had the assurances in writing.

Earlier, Virk, accompanied by ADGP (Ambala range) RC Mishra and Deputy Commissioner SS Phuliya, held closed-door meetings for a solution to the situation.

The MLA and the officials held a series of meetings with the Panthic leaders. Efforts to convince Sikh representatives continued till the time of filing this news report.

The village was cordoned off with heavy deployment of police force directly supervised by SP Abhishek Garg.

In the afternoon, at a meeting chaired by the Sarbat Khalsa leader Baljit Singh Daduwal, representatives of various organisations lamented the district authorities for harassing the Sikhs. Leaders said Khalsa’s family had stated the performance of last rites would be decided by the ‘sangat’.

“Khalsa had been fighting for the rights of Sikh prisoners. After his death due to hasty police decision, it has become the Panthic duty to bring justice to his cause. We will not hesitate to take the mortal remains to various takhts to highlight his mission,” he said.

Daduwal alleged relatives and sympathisers were refrained from attending the condolence meeting. He said roads leading to the village were barricaded and visitors were detained on flimsy grounds.