Don’t test patience of Sikhs, SGPC tells Modi government
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said a meeting will be called on December 2 of an “Panthic” parties to discuss the issue of Rajoana, a death row convict
Warning “not to test the patience of Sikhs”, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has asked the Centre to take an early decision on mercy petitions and release of Sikh prisoners including Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted for assassinating Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said on Thursday that a meeting will be called on December 2 of “Panthic” parties to discuss the issue of Rajoana, a death row convict.
This follows a letter Rajoana wrote to the SGPC seeking withdrawal of a mercy petition it had filed to the Indian president in 2012, three years after the Centre announced the commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment, the Indian Express reported.
Rajoana, now in the Patiala Central Jail, has threatened to go on a hunger strike from December 5 if the petition was not withdrawn.
The SGPC has also been seeking the release of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, who has been convicted for a 1993 bomb blast in Delhi.
After discussing Rajoana’s letter for about three hours, Dhami said the matter was very serious and a decision could be taken only according to the “common opinion” after meeting the ‘Panthic’ representatives.
Act now, says SGPC
“We are not begging for justice. All we want is the Union government to take a decision on the mercy petition. That decision should be taken immediately,” the Express quoted Dhami as saying.
“There is a notification of Union government from 2019. The word ‘may’ is used on release of Sikh prisoners. May shouldn’t be used to delay the decision on release. Our demand is to take the decision this side or that side. Don’t test the patience of Sikhs,” he said.
The SGPC chief accused the Centre of ignoring the Supreme Court order on Rajoana’s petition.
“This negative attitude of the Centre is going to make the Sikhs feel alienated. The governments are creating an environment of mistrust among the Sikhs, which is not in the interest of the country,” said Dhami.
He said Rajoana has been given the title of ‘Zinda Shaheed (Living Martyr)’ by the Akal Takht. The SGPC was continuously “working for this warrior of the community and will stand by him like a rock in the future as well”.