SAD workers planning protest detained in gurdwara

PATIALA: Police here on Monday detained some leaders and workers of SAD inside a local gurdwara when they gathered there to take out a protest march against the delay in action against Congress leader Harinderpal Singh, alias Harry Mann, who had got into a controversy after a video of him making a provocative speech went viral on the social media.
Party workers had gathered at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, located about 2km from New Moti Bagh, private residence of chief minister Amarinder Singh. They were planning to march towards the CM's house and stage a dharna, but the cops locked them inside the gurdwara. Later, they were allowed to take out the protest march but were again stopped near the Polo Ground, where they sat on a dharna for over three hours.

General secretary of SAD and Anandpur Sahib MP Prem Singh Chandumajra said party president Sukhbir Badal had already written letters to the CM and Punjab DGP Suresh Arora, seeking registration of an FIR against Harry Mann. Now, the Akalis had threatened to move the Punjab and Haryana high court, if no action was taken against him within 48 hours.

Chandumajra said the CM was the custodian of peace and harmony in the state and when a political leader made a provocative speech, action should be taken against him to ensure that the atmosphere of the state was not vitiated. He said while Congress leaders, including it state president Sunil Jakhar, had already condemned Harry Mann's speech, the CM was still maintaining silence on the issue. He said the party had also decided to send a Sikh jatha to the residence of Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi to offer their 'heads' as a mark of protest against the statement given by Mann.

Meanwhile, former Punjab minister Surjit Singh Rakhra and SAD's Patiala district unit president Harpal Singh Juneja, along with some of their supporters, managed to break police barricades and reached near the private residence of the CM, where they staged another protest.

Harry Mann has already defended himself by claiming that his speech had been misinterpreted.