Parallel events mark anniv of Behbal Kalan firing incident

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Bargari (Faridkot), Oct 14

On the fourth anniversary of the Behbal Kalan police firing incident that claimed the lives of two Sikh protesters, Panthic leaders remained a divided house as they held three parallel programmes to pay homage to the victims and seek justice for them.

Last year, these leaders had assembled under the banner of Insaaf Morcha and made Bargari a rallying point by carrying out a 192-day-long protest dharna. On December 10, 2018, the dharna was lifted following an assurance by the state government that justice would be delivered.

This caused rift among leaders. The differences still persist as was evident from the fact that they held three programmes in the district.

In one such event at Bargari, parallel jathedar Baljit Singh Daduwal, Sukhpal Singh Khaira of Punjab Ekta Party, Dal Khalsa president Harpal Singh Cheema and many others aired their views against the decision to lift the last year’s morcha.

Daduwal said, “The decision was lopsided and it derailed our agitation for justice.” SAD(A) president Simranjit Singh Mann and parallel Akal Takht acting jathedar Dhian Singh Mand had entered into a pact with the government.

In another programme, Mann and Mand sought justice in the case.

The third event-cum-protest was held at Kotkapura in which Harjinder Singh Majhi of Darbar-e-Khalsa and Kotkapura MLA Kultar Singh participated. While the organisers of the programme at Bargari gave a call to observe October 14-21 as “black week”, the protesters at Kotkapura issued a 5-page letter, calling it a long list of “misdeeds” of the Badals.

Accusing Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and the Badal family of conniving with each other to confuse the Sikh community on the sacrilege issue, Khaira said four of the five STI members were working in the favour of the Akalis, making all efforts to derail the investigation.

Cheema said with the denial of justice in the sacrilege and police firing cases, there was an apprehension of youth picking the arms to avenge the sacrilege on their own. He warned the political establishment to not to play with the justice system for political gains.