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This is an archive article published on March 2, 2016

Khalsa: May consider ending stir if Bhullar, Khaira released

‘Hunger strike’ enters day 411.

Surat Singh Khalsa talks to DC Ravi Bhagat and a doctor, Sandeep Puri, at DMCH. Express Surat Singh Khalsa talks to DC Ravi Bhagat and a doctor, Sandeep Puri, at DMCH. Express photo

SIKH ACTIVIST Surat Singh Khalsa, whose ‘hunger’ strike entered its 411th day Tuesday, said he would consider ending his fast if the government made arrangements for the release of militants Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar and Gurdeep Singh Khaira, both convicts in bomb blast cases.

The 82-year-old activist, who has been on a fast since January 16, 2015, also wrote to the Ludhiana deputy commissioner claiming he was being illegally detained at the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) in Ludhiana, where he has been admitted since December 10. Khalsa has also said if “he faints or his medical condition deteriorates, no one should be allowed to touch his body”.

“If I faint or any other medical complication develops, I should not be given any life support system. I should also not be shifted to the ICU. If someone touches me without my permission, it should be considered as a criminal act,” Khalsa’s letter reads.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Ravi Inderjit Gogi, Khalsa’s son, claimed “his father’s condition was deteriorating” but added until Bhullar and Khaira, a convict in the Bidar bomb blast (Karnataka), are released, the protest will not end. Since Khalsa’s protest, Sikh militants including Waryam Singh, Baaz Singh, Makhan Singh and Hardeep Singh have already been released from jails. “At least two more Sikh prisoners, preferably Bhullar and Khaira, should be released from the jail at the earliest and then Bapuji might think of ending the protest. His condition is deteriorating as force feeding has stopped and he is only taking a few drops of water,” Gogi said.
The Ludhiana civil surgeon Dr Renu Chhatwal, meanwhile, said Khalsa’s condition was stable. Dr Chhatwal along with district deputy commissioner Ravi Bhagat visited the fasting activist on Tuesday.

“Khalsa needs medical supervision and thus he will not be shifted from the hospital as of now,” DC Bhagat said.

Over the past year, Khalsa has been moved in and out of hospital multiple times by the district administration. While his family claims his “condition has been deteriorating”, the civil surgeon said Khalsa continues to be in a “stable condition” with all his vital organs functioning properly.

Earlier, Education Minister and SAD spokesperson Daljeet Singh Cheema met Khalsa on December 17 and a fresh list of Sikh prisoners was submitted to him by Sangharsh Committee members, following which Khalsa drank water.

Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Punjab. Her interest lies in exploring both news and feature stories, with an effort to reflect human interest at the heart of each piece. She writes on gender issues, education, politics, Sikh diaspora, heritage, the Partition among other subjects. She has also extensively covered issues of minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also explores the legacy of India's partition and distinct stories from both West and East Punjab. She is a gold medalist from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, the most revered government institute for media studies in India, from where she pursued English Journalism (Print). Her research work on “Role of micro-blogging platform Twitter in content generation in newspapers” had won accolades at IIMC. She had started her career in print journalism with Hindustan Times before switching to The Indian Express in 2012. Her investigative report in 2019 on gender disparity while treating women drug addicts in Punjab won her the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2020. She won another Laadli for her ground report on the struggle of two girls who ride a boat to reach their school in the border village of Punjab.       ... Read More

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