AMRITSAR: A group of rebel Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders here today on Monday appears at Akal Takht Sahib ( the highest Sikh temporal seat for Sikhs) seeking apology for series of incidents that led inhabitants of Punjab annoyed with the party when it was in power in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
Holding SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal squarely accountable for revoking the case against Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, also failing to punish guilty involved in the sacrileges incidents happened at Bargari and Kotkapura besides police firing in Behbal Kalan in 2015. They also accused the then former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini who utterly remained failed to deliver justice to the victims involve in the fake encounter.
Among prominent who were seen at Akal Takht from rebel group were former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Jagir Kaur, former MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, senior leaders Surjit Singh Rakhra, Gurpratap Wadala. All the leaders submitted a letter to Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Giani Raghubir Singh squarely blaming president Sukhbir Singh Badal for his decisions that ruined the SAD outfit.
Rebels in their letter blamed Sukhbir Badal for pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim for wearing attire similar to that worn by tenth Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh.
All the leaders in the letter to Jatehdar Akal Takht expressed desire to undergo any punishment that the highest Sikh temporal seat deemed suitable as they were very much part of the Akali government at that time but remained mute spectator to stop the leadership’s wrong decisions.
Rebels alleged in their letter that the SGPC spent nearly Rs 90 lakh on advertisements in section of new papers to justify its decision, but strong resistance from the people, the leadership of the SAD and the SGPC finally had to reverse it.
Adding further they alleged that the Shiromani Akali Dal government had committed major mistake by appointing an officer as DGP who was known notorious for fake police encounters of Sikhs resulting in the killing of Sikh youths, besides giving a ticket to the wife of another such officer who had formed the Alam Sena to carry out killings, she was made a chief parliamentary secretary. They also blamed that the Akali government formed in 2012 failed to carry out fair probe into alleged fake police encounters and provide relief to the victims despite promises made to the people.
Rebels informed in the letter that they had urged the senior leadership of the party to present themselves before Akal Takht to apologize for these mistakes as per Sikh tenets , but the senior leadership did not agree.
They urged jatehdar Akal Takht for forgiveness in writing for all such mistakes as they were the part of Akal Government besides saying that they all were willing to accept any punishment awarded by Akal Takht.
Earlier, before coming to Amritsar, the rebel leaders, including Prem Singh Chandu Majra and Gurpartap Singh Wadala, visited Khadoor Sahib MP-elect Amritpal Singh’s home in the Jallukhera village at Baba Bakala near Beas to meet his parents. Radical preacher Amritpal is yet to take the oath as MP as he is in jail in Assam, detained under the National Security Act.