Sikh activist Surat Singh Khalsa ends 8-year fast seeking release of Bandi Singhs

At the hospital, Khalsa was on a liquid diet given via a nasal tube as part of the treatment as he refused to take anything via his mouth.

“He ended his fast on the instructions of jathedar Jagtar Singh Hawara but he is still admitted at the hospital due to his ill health. However, he has expected his desire to be part of the dharna in Mohali seeking justice in the Bargari sacrilege case and for Sikh prisoners,” said Gurdeep Singh Bathinda, president of United Akali Dal, who was present Friday afternoon when Khalsa announced that he was ending the fast. Jagtar Singh Hawara is a Sikh prisoner whom the Sarbat Khalsa, organised by panthic organisations, had declared as a parallel jathedar of Akal Takht in November 2015. His son Gurcharan Singh Hawara was also present on the occasion.   

Khalsa, while starting his fast, had maintained that nine Sikh prisoners who had been languishing in jails for more than 30 years even after completing their jail terms are still behind bars and he was fasting in protest against it.

Balwinder Singh, a member of the press committee of Surat Singh Khalsa, said, “From January 7 onwards an indefinite morcha has been started by organisations on the Chandigarh-Mohali border seeking justice for sacrilege incidents and especially the Bargari sacrilege case. This morcha has been named the Insaaf Morcha and Jagtar Singh Hawara ji has advised everyone to consolidate their efforts now towards this morcha… So Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa has ended his fast and will soon be part of Insaaf Morcha once he is discharged from the hospital.”

Sherdil Singh, another committee member, said, “In the past, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami had appealed to Khalsa to support SAD (Badal) in their fight for the release of Sikh prisoners but he had refused.”