Radicals disrupt CM’s speech, raise pro-Khalistan slogans

Gagan K. Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 26

Two activists of the SAD (A) today entered the hall at Punjabi University, where Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was presiding over the installation ceremony of Bhagwan Parshuram Chair for Indian Literature and Culture, and raised pro-Khalistan and anti-government slogans.

The activists, who were identified as Saroop Singh Sandah and Rajinder Singh Channa, started shouting slogans as soon as Badal began his speech towards the end of the programme.

While the CM’s security personnel rushed and surrounded him, the police took the activists into custody and whisked them away.

The police have taken four activists into preventive custody. They are Saroop Singh, Rajinder Singh, Gurdhyan Singh and Darshan Singh.

Badal then cautioned people to ignore such elements. He said some forces inimical to the progress of the state were bent on disrupting its hard-earned peace, but he would not allow such forces to succeed.

The Chief Minister said Punjab had suffered a lot due to such conspiracies in the past, but the SAD-BJP alliance government was keeping a strict vigil to foil the nefarious designs of such elements.

Soliciting the proactive support and cooperation of media and general public for this cause, he said every one should join hands to make Punjab an epitome of peace and communal brotherhood.

Paying tributes to Bhagwan Parshuram, the CM exhorted the people to imbibe the ideals propagated by him so that justice and equality could be ensured in society. He was accompanied by Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra. Devi Dyal Prashar, president, Sri Brahmin Sabha, Punjab.

Prashar said the Brahmin Sabha would support to the Akali Dal during the 2017 Assembly poll.