Bikram Majithia asks DGP to tell how many out of 50,000 devotees visiting Sri Kartarpur Sahib had become terrorists
Asks DGP to clarify statement within 24 hours or face agitation and protest in Vidhan Sabha
Chandigarh, February 22, 2020: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta for hurting the sentiments of the Sikh community by becoming party to the deep rooted conspiracy of the Gandhi family to paint Sikhs as terrorists as well as implementing the dictates of the Congress party to create conditions for closure of the Kartarpur Corridor.
Talking to media persons here, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia said the DGP had been handpicked by the Gandhi family due to his eight year central stint in the IB department during UPA rule when he thwarted opening of the Kartarpur Corridor. “His recent statement that an ordinary Sikh devotee going to pay obeisance to Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan can be turned into a terrorist in the space of six hours is an insult to the ardas of crores of Guru Naam Leva sangat which resulted in the opening of the Corridor after 73 years”.
Mr Majithia asked the DGP to explain how many Sikhs out of the 50,000 devotees who had visited Sri Kartarpur Sahib including the chief minister, cabinet members and senior leaders from all parties had received training in Pakistan during the space of less than one day. “This is how weak he thinks the Sikhs are”. He said the statement was also an insult to Sri Akal Takth and its Jathedar Singh Sahib Harpreet Singh who had led the first ‘jatha’ and was on a pilgrimage to Pakistan presently.
Asking the DGP to clarify his statement within 24 hours, the SAD leader said if the officer failed to do this the SAD would launch a protest movement and would not allow the Vidhan Sabha to run on February 24. “We cannot tolerate this insult at any cost. The DGP will have to come on record and state whether he had made the statement on his own or it was done at the instance of the Gandhi family of 10 Janpath”.
Mr Majtihia said Sikh devotees visited Sri Kartarpur Sahib to breathe and experience the environment in which Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji propagated his teachings of ‘naam japo, kirt karo, vand shako’ and not to engage in terrorist activities. He said by making the pilgrimage devotees were realizing the fruits of an ardas they had done countless times. “The DGP’s statement comes at a time when there is a move to remove restrictions on passports to allow more devotees ‘khula darshan deedar’ of the holy place. This is an indication that Mr Dinkar Gupta has made this anti-Sikh statement as part of the ‘soch’ of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who projected Sikhs as terrorists, attacked Sri Darbar Sahib with tanks and mortar and did not allow opening of the Kartarpur Corridor”.
The SAD leader said it was ironical that the DGP wanted to target Sikh devotees but was powerless in stopping arms drops from Pakistan through drones. He said similarly the DGP had failed to order an inquiry into how the names of police officers Harjinder Gill and Paramjit Pannu had been dropped from the FIR lodged against them for firing at Sikhs at Behbal Kalan solely because they enjoyed the support of cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa. “Even police firing victim Krishan Bhagwan Singh’s brother Resham had to approach the chief justice of the high court to protest against this but even then the DGP has not acted in the matter”, Mr Majtihia added.