Amid massive security arrangements following rumours that fugitive pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh may surrender himself at Gurdwara Damdama Sahib, the Baisakhi Mela in Talwandi Sabo concluded on a sombre note Friday even as the Akal Takht Jathedar said all sections of society are living in peace and brotherhood in state and cautioned against the evil designs of “anti-Punjab forces” to project it as a disturbed state. Amritpal, who had urged Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to call Sarbat Khalsa on Baisakhi day at Damdama Sahib, never showed up even as the Punjab Police's efforts to arrest him entered 28th day. The Khalistan sympathiser has been on the run since March 18 when police launched a crackdown on his outfit Waris Punjab De, days after Amritpal and his supporters had stormed a police station complex to get freed one of his arrested associates. Without naming Amritpal, Giani Harpreet, in his address to the community, said, “We can call any state a disturbed state if there are differences between two or more communities or they have been violent incidents. A state can be termed as disturbed if people have issues with the government and the situation turns violent. However there's nothing of this sort in Punjab and yet it is being painted as a disturbed state. This is not good for Punjab. There is peace and harmony amongst the communities and they gel with each other very well. Still, some anti-social elements are throwing stones in the still water and later shouting paani me bahut halchal hai (the situation is not good)”. Beginning 2018, the AAP and Congress stopped organising political conferences at Talwandi Sabo during the Baisakhi Mela. This year, the Shiromani Aakli Dal too cancelled its political conference but party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur reached Talwandi Sabo marked their presence. After paying obeisance at the Takht, Sukhbir said, “This year, the sangat was very less compared to previous years and the credit for this goes to AAP government that has created a sense of terror among the masses”. The only party that organised its political conference near Gurudwara Jandsar Sahib within the Damdama Sahib complex was Simaranjit Singh Mann-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar ). Mann raised the issue of crackdown against Amritpal and said “A Sikh can either be arrested or killed, he will never surrender”. Mann and his party cadre also sought votes for Gurjant Singh Kattu, the party candidate for bypoll to Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat next month. Mann appealed everyone to campaign in Jalandhar like they did in Sangrur from where he won the Lok Sabha bypoll last year.
