Make Ranjit panel report public: Bargari protesters

Panthic organisations holding a protest at Bargari want the government to make the report by Justice Ranjit Singh Commission on 2015 sacrilege incidents public.

The protest, which entered the 39th day on Monday, is led by Sarbat Khalsa appointed Akal Takht jathedar Dhian Singh Mand and Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Baljit Singh Daduwal. The “Panthic” organisations are waiting for chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to accept their demands after cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa met them on Sunday.

The state government is contemplating to table the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission in a special session of the Vidhan Sabha. The report was submitted to the CM on June 30 in a sealed cover.

“We are waiting for the government to make an announcement. We expected it today as cabinet minister Bajwa promised us that he would take up the matter with the CM on reaching Chandigarh,” said Mand.

“The Vidan Sabha has constituted the commission and the talks are on in government circles to call a special session to table it,” said a government functionary who refused to be quoted.

“Bajwa on two occasions met us and had said that our demands are genuine,” said Mand. Bajwa, who was in his constituency Batala, on Monday said he had not met the CM and was expected to meet on Tuesday when he will take up the demands of the protesters with him. “I can’t comment how the report would be brought in the public domain,” said Bajwa.

After spate of sacrilege incidents in the state, Sikh bodies called Sarbat Khalsa in November 2015 and announced constitution of a parallel clergy, which came into direct confrontation with the Sikh clergy.

The protesters also demanded release of 11 Sikhs who are lodged in different jails. A list was given to Bajwa on Monday, which also includes the name of Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, convicted in a bomb blast case of 1993. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Others on the list are Lal Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Lakhwinder Singh and Nand Singh.

Apart from this, the protestors are also demanding punishment to officers who were behind the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing in which two lives were lost. They are demanding speedy trials and punishment against the perpetrators behind sacrilege.

They also demanded that the investigation of sacrilege incidents be taken back from CBI and handed over to the special task force (STF). STF has arrested at least 10 perpetrators of sacrilege, of which three has been handed over to the CBI.