A protest with no slogans, no dharna, but 30,000 arrests and counting
The men in khaki make the group sit in a waiting police bus, and drive them to the police post. Once at the police post, an makes a diary entry stating that the five were detained after courting arrest. Immediately after making the entry, the group is told that it can leave.
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Protesters board the police bus that remains stationed near the Bargari gurdwara. ExpressIt is around 1.30 pm when a group of five men arrive at the gurdwara in Faridkot’s Bargari village to pay obeisance. After spending some time at the shrine, the five start walking towards the Bargari police post, some 1.5 km away. As they reach near the Dana Mandi, a stone’s throw away from the gurdwara, they come across a group of 10-12 police personnel.
The men in khaki make the group sit in a waiting police bus, and drive them to the police post. Once at the police post, an makes a diary entry stating that the five were detained after courting arrest. Immediately after making the entry, the group is told that it can leave.
The scene will be repeated again the next day. As it has been for the past over 440 days with unfailing clockwork regularity. The only thing that changes once in a while is the number of people offering to court arrest as part of silent protest that the Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar) had launched on July 1, 2021 seeking justice in the sacrilege case of 2015 and the subsequent police firing in which two persons were killed.
The ‘bir’ (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from Bargari gurdwara, handwritten sacrilegious posters were put up and later and torn pages of the holy book were found scattered in the village. These incidents had triggered protests, and two people — Gurjot Singh and Krishan Bhagwan Singh — were killed in Behbal Kalan and a few injured at Kotkapura in alleged police firing.
The protest launched by the SAD (A) over the incidents is unique in several aspects. There is no dharna. There is no sloganeering. Just a group of people courting arrest at the local police station everyday after paying obeisance at the gurdwara. So much so that the police officials have now started stationing a vehicle near the shrine to pick the protesters and take them to the police station for the summary detention.
Gurdit Singh Dhuddi, a local leader of the SAD( A) who maintains a record of persons going to court arrest says, “Over 30,000 people have courted arrests so far. The numbers differs from a minimum of five to a maximum 120 on any given day”.
Says Iqbal Singh Tiwana, another SAD (A) member from Kotkapura, “It is a peaceful protest to seek punishment for those who stole the holy Guru Granth Sahib from gurdwara of Burj Jawahar Singh Wala on June 1, 2015 and later its torn pages were found in the streets of Bargari village on October 12. The police firing took place on October 14 on people seeking justice at Kotkapura Chowk and later in Behbal Kalan village the same day. Our protest will continue till justice is delivered. We started the protest started on the directions of our party president Simranjit Singh Mann. On the first day, Mann Sahab and other senior members of the party had offered arrest”.
Mann, who is now Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur said his party decided to organise a morcha demanding the arrest of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son and then deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and the then DGP Sumedh Saini. Badal Sr was the CM when the alleged sacrilege incident took place. “Punjab Police on the orders of the Badals resorted to firing at the peaceful protesters and also indulged in lathi charge injuring many demonstrators,” alleged Mann, adding “at least five workers from our party have been courting arrest every day for past over 430 days demanding justice”.
He alleged that the previous Congress governments led first by Capt Amarinder Singh and later Charanjit Singh Channi, and now the AAP government led by Bhagwant Mann have not taken any action in the sacrilege case. “The protest morcha will continue till the Sikhs receive justice. Volunteers in scores have come forth to offer arrest,” he added.
Senior superintendent of police, Faridkot, Rajpal Singh confirmed the symbolic arrests being made everyday. “These are symbolic arrests. We release them after making a dairy entry under Section 44 of The Police Act, 1861. Our team takes them to police chowki.”
Jagjit Singh Shushak, secretary Ferozepur unit of SAD (A) said, “The Singhs reach Bargari village gurdwara, listen to kirtan, do ardaas and later move towards the police station to court arrest. A police team with a bus remains stationed near Dana Mandi. Some personnel also keep waiting near the gurdwara. We go there from 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm. The persons courting arrest are sent home in about an hour after the police procedure”.
Iqbal Tiwana added, “We have created rosters for courting arrest. There are 23 districts in Punjab. The party sends a jatha each of the youth wing and the senior leaders from each district on consecutive days. Those courting arrest carry Khalsa flag”.
Another morcha at Behbal Kalan
Similarly, in Behbal Kalan village, a protest dharna — Insaaf Morcha — has been going since December 16, 2021 at the site of the police firing where Krishan Bhagwan and Gurjot were killed. The protest here is helmed by the family members of the two victims.
Krishan Bhagwan’s son Sukhraj Singh, who is the force behind the morcha said, “Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had stated in a public speech while campaigning for Punjab elections that justice in Bargari incident can be delivered in 24 hours. Their government came to power in March and they are now seeking more time to complete the investigation”.
He said, the Bhagwant Mann-government in April had sought three months, and then another 15 days. That period ended on July 25. On that day, their ministers came and sought another six months. Three successive governments have handled this inquiry, but none have delivered justice,” he added.
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