Punjab: On Saturday, several Panthic organizations demanded the release of Bandi Singh and vowed to intensify their agitation if the central government doesn’t meet their demands. They also demanded parole by March 2 for Jagtar Singh Hawara, convicted in the assassination case of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. These demands were made at a meeting of the Bandi Singh Rihai Manch in Hawara Kalan village in the Khamano subdivision of Fatehgarh Sahib. Representatives of several farmer organizations also participated in the rally. They demanded that Hawara, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, be granted parole so he could visit his ailing mother. Participants discussed the next steps in the movement for the release of Bandi Singh – a Sikh prisoner who has been imprisoned for decades on terrorism-related charges. Currently, the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha is protesting at the Mohali-Chandigarh border to press for this demand. Addressing the gathering, SAD (Amritsar) President Simranjit Singh Mann said the issue would be linked to farmers’ concerns and a major agitation would soon be launched from the Attari-Wagah border. He said the date of the proposed protest would be announced during Hola Mohalla. Giani Harpreet Singh, president of a splinter faction of the party, SAD (Punjab Surjit), said the Punjab Assembly should pass a resolution for the release of prisoners, similar to Tamil Nadu, where the Assembly had facilitated the release of some convicts through a resolution. He alleged that successive governments, claiming to be religious, had failed to take concrete action on the issue. SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali said he had written to the Assembly Speaker, demanding the introduction of two resolutions during the upcoming budget session regarding the release of the imprisoned Singhs and the withdrawal of the National Security Act against Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh.
Punjab: Religious organizations demand the release of captive Singhs
