Breaking of ‘golak’, lock of gurdwara offices black day in history of Sikh ‘quom’: Sukhbir

Reacting strongly to the forcible takeover of Patshahi Chhevin Gurdwara in Kurkshetra by breaking “golaks” and office locks at Phillaur, the SAD president condemned the Haryana government for ordering the arrest of gurdwara officials.
Sukhbir Badal also announced that a delegation of SAD in consultation with the SGPC would visit Kurukshetra on Tuesday and take stock of the situation.

He also announced that the SAD would launch a massive struggle to correct the injustice done to the Sikh community.

Speaking to the media, Sukhbir Badal held the Haryana government completely responsible for the present state of affairs. He said the government first worked actively to split the SGPC and then formed a separate committee – Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) to give control of gurdwaras to “mahants”.

“Now the final stage of the forcible takeover is being undertaken by breaking ‘golaks’ and locks of gurdwara offices,” the SAD president said.

Responding to a media query regarding allegations of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that the SAD had not done enough for the release of ‘Bandi Singhs’ (Sikh prisoners), Sukhbir Badal said, “Bhagwant Mann doesn’t know what he is speaking.”

He said the CM was deliberately misleading Punjabis. “It’s a well-established fact that SAD is the only party which has put sincere efforts for the release of ‘Bandi Singhs’. From stalling the death sentence of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana to securing parole of ‘Bandi Singhs’ and bringing the Sikh detainees to Punjab jails for their better care, it was all the result of the SAD struggle,” Sukhbir Badal said.

“We secured the 2019 notification which directed that all ‘Bandi Singhs’ be released by staging protests. Bhagwant Mann should go and check who got the names of 312 Sikhs removed from the black list and also who ensured Sajjan Kumar and other culprits responsible for massacre of Sikhs were put behind bars,” he said.

“Why his ‘master’ Arvind Kejriwal rejected Prof Davinderpal Singh Bhullar’s release petition six times and also why he (Bhagwant Mann) recommended Bhai Gurmeet Singh Engineer not be released and termed the Bandi Singh ‘a man of evil mind’,” Sukhbir Badal asked the CM.

Slamming Mann for making a ‘false’ claim of Rs 40,000 crore investment and 2.5 lakh jobs being given in 10 months, Sukhbir Badal said, “From Kashmir to Kanyakumari newspapers are filled with false advertisements of the Punjab government. Also, the AAP government is wasting crores on selling lies through public display advertisements at international airports in the country.”