Provide security to Bargari sacrilege case witnesses: Bhagwant Mann to Captain Government
Chandigarh, April 18, 2021
Reacting to the recent letter written by Punjab inspector general of police (IG) Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh to Punjab DGP and additional chief secretary home mentioning details of witness allurement by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD); the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state president and MP Bhagwant Mann demanded Captain Amarinder Singh-led state government to provide security to the witnesses of the Bargari sacrilege case. He said that sentiments of millions of people have been connected with the 2015 Guru Granth Sahib ji sacrilege case in Bargari, which nowadays is taking a different turn of events. Mann said that IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh’s letter on witness allurement has exposed the SAD and SGPC; thus raising questions on Captain Amarinder Singh.
Taking a dig at the Captain Amarinder Singh, Mann said that as the Punjab government failed to put up the case properly in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, then it should atleast provide safety to the witnesses related to the case. “Atleast the witnesses should feel safe, their family should feel safe, so that when they go to the court on hearing, they should not feel any pressure or allurement,” he added. Mann said that IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap had also highlighted threats that he faced, but Captain Amarinder had also not given any clarification on it. “If an IG level officer was getting threat calls then who will save the common people, the witnesses,” he questioned.
Mann said that the need for witness protection was crucial in the present case as the accused were influential and highly powerful. He said that the witnesses should be provided adequate mental and physical protection to ensure fair trial of the case. Slamming the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mann said that the SAD should be ashamed of them. “If they (SAD) claim themselves as innocent, then why are they alluring the witnesses and doing such activities,” he said. Mann demanded the Punjab government to provide safety to all the witnesses of the cases linked to Bargari sacrilege, which were being pressurized and allured to turn hostile.
Assuring the witnesses of legal aid, Mann said that if in case of any legal aid, the Aam Aadmi Party will provide all sorts of assistance to them. Meanwhile, seeking action against the SAD and the SGPC, Mann said that the organisations, who claim to be religious and traditional, were doing such activities of alluring the witnesses. He said that sentiments of millions of the people were connected to this case and the Captain government and the Punjab DGP should take immediate action on the letter and on the witness which were being allured by the SAD and the SGPC.