AAP deliberately delaying release of Bandi Singhs in Punjab and Delhi: Sukhbir

Addressing the media on Thursday, the SAD president said that the AAP government in Punjab had come in the way of the premature release of Gurmeet Singh Engineer, who had recently been let out on parole after spending 27 years in prison. He said that since Engineer was incarcerated in the Burail jail in Chandigarh, the UT administration had written to the Patiala district magistrate seeking the latter’s report on the premature release application on the Bandi Singh.

“The AAP government in its report said Gurmeet Singh Engineer was a man of evil mind who was an expert in bomb making. They also said that there was a probability of his involvement in terrorist activities if released”.

Sukhbir Badal then went on to add that the AAP government in Delhi had earlier also rejected the release application of Devenderpal Singh Bhullar four times. “Both actions show that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is against the release of the Bandi Singhs and will go to any extent to hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community”.

Badal on Thursday also announced that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami will extend an ongoing signature campaign seeking the release of the Bandi Singhs to the villages of the state on February 18 from Attari.

He appealed to the SAD workers as well as Punjabis at large to support this cause, saying the Sikh detainees were being incarcerated in prison even after completion of their life sentences.

The SAD president on Thursday also interacted with potato growers of the region, after which he said that the farmers had told him that traders were not visiting the state from outside due to the prevailing gangster and extortion culture. He said due to this potato prices had dipped to an all time low of Rs 250 per quintal, which was lower than the cost of production.

Badal then asked CM Bhagwant Mann to act immediately and save the potato growers and said that Markfed and Punjab Agro should be pressed into service and told to buy the potato crop to ensure remunerative returns to farmers. He said this had been done earlier by the then CM Parkash Singh Badal and was the only way to save farmers from debt.