NEW DELHI Three Akali-M MPs including party leader Simranjit Singh Mann did not take oaths as scheduled on March 12. The two others were Bibi Bimal Khalsa and S, Dhian Singh Mand.
Mann had said the fundamental right of Sikhs to wear and carry kirpan was being abridged. He said he would be sworn in only if allowed into parliament with his sword,
In a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Rabi Ray, Mann reiterated the warning that carrying kirpans was an inalienable right which could not be taken away by an enactment. He pointed out Art 45 of the constitution which guarantees religious freedom.
Mann also said he would not take the oath until his fellow MP Atinderpal Singh was released unconditionally from Tihar Jail.
A spokesman of the party who released copies of Mann’s letter to Ray said whether Mann took oath would depend on the speaker’s response.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 16, 1990
