Bathinda (PTI): More than 50 Akali leaders’ activists and Sikh leaders were arrested on April 12 on the eve of a religious congregation of various Akali and Sikh organizations including four major Akali factions to be held on the Vaisakhi day at Takhat Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district.
The arrested leaders included Joginder Singh president Akali Dal (Baba) Kartar Singh Narang chief of Babbar Akali Dal Jasbir Singh Rodea former high priest of Akal Takht and Jaswant Singh.
Meanwhile the organizers of the congregation told reporters at a secret press conference that they would hold the meeting come what may.
The police had virtually laid siege of the venue of the congregation. Barricades have been erected at various places leading to the venue and the patrolling has been intensified.
The congregation is the sequel to a meeting of more than 30 Sikh social political and religious organizations and major Akali factions held on the occasion of Holla Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib on March 18. That meeting had threatened to launch a civil disobedience movement in the state.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 24, 1992
