Amritsar, December 20
Activists
of various Sikh organisations today held a march in support of Gurbaksh
Singh Khalsa, who has been on a fast to seek the release of six Sikh
detainees.
Led by Sikh Youth Federation (Bhindranwala), the procession passed
through the city’s main areas before culminating at Akal Takht.
The participants raised slogans against the Union Government for its
“bias” against the Sikh detainees. A delegation of Sikh Students
Federation (Garewal) led by Gurcharan Singh Garewal met Akal Takht
Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh on the issue.
Talking to mediapersons, Garewal said the Jathedar had told him that the
SGPC was in touch with the state government to resolve the matter at the
earliest.
Meanwhile, noted journalist Kuldeep Nayar and senior Supreme Court
lawyer HS Phoolka have sent a representation to the Governor of Gujarat
for the release of Sikh detainee Lal Singh languishing in jail for 24
years. He was arrested by the Gujarat Police in 1992 and awarded life
imprisonment by a Gujarat court.
“The continued detention of Lal Singh who has served his sentence is
unjustified. He has not committed any murder or any other heinous crime.
“He was awarded the sentence under TADA for recovery of arms and
explosives.
“The High Court recommended the state government thrice to consider the
request for his release.
“The High Court also took note in its judgment that he was released on
parole six times and had surrendered within time and there was
absolutely no allegation of his involvement in any criminal activity or
disturbance of peace during the period of parole,” reads the
representation.
Supreme Court lawyer Phoolka, who has also been fighting the cases of
the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims, said similar representation would be
made to other state governments on receipt of information about such
prisoners.
Sikh Affairs Committee formed
Chandigarh: A newly constituted Sikh Affairs Committee will meet the
Union Home Ministry and the Union Law Minister to seek the release of
Sikh detainees, said committee spokesman Gurinder Pal Singh Dhanula.
Simranjit Singh Mann, Surjit Kaur Barnala, Prof Darshan Singh Khalsa,
Gurtej Singh, Manjit Singh Calcutta, Harinder Singh Norway, Baldev Singh
Mann, Jaswant Singh Mann and some other Sikh leaders are on the
committee. — TNS
About crusader Gurbaksh Singh
* Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa was born to Jathedar Ajit Singh and
Mohinder Kaur on Dec 12, 1965, in Thuska Ali village of Kurukshetra
district in Haryana
* He received his primary education in the village school
* Gurbaksh Singh engaged in Gurmat studies at Gurdwara Lakhnour Sahib.
He was baptised at the age of 11
* He got married in 1987 to Jasbir Kaur, he has a son, Jhujhar Singh,
who is married
* Gurbaksh Singh was influenced by Bhindranwale’s ideology which brought
him in conflict with the govt
* Arrested for the first time in 1982, he remained in jail in 1986-87
for opposing the ‘ban on kesri turbans’
* He was again arrested in 1994 for allegedly making inflammatory
speeches.
* Gurbaksh Singh faced 10 cases registered in different places,
including Panipat and Amritsar
* He was picked up by the police from his house. He remained in police
remand for a month and 28 days
* His wife was allegedly subjected to police harassment
* Gurbaksh Singh was an accused in a case registered after a blast in
Sector 34, Chandigarh, in 1999. Sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, he
is now on parole
* He has been acquitted in eight of the 10 cases registered against him.
One case is still pending
* Gurbaksh Singh was lodged in the Ambala jail for some time. He was
later shifted to the Burail jail, Chandigarh
* It was here that he met Jagtar Singh Hawara and Paramjit Singh Bheora
lodged there in connection with the Beant Singh assassination case
— Compiled by Kulwinder Sangha