CHANDIGARH: Activists of the All India Sikh Students Federation (Manjit group) led by Bhai Manjit Singh on Saturday took out a procession to the Punjab Raj Bhawan and presented a memorandum to the Governor of Punjab.
The AISSF (M) in the memorandum has demanded that corrupt Punjab police personnel should be removed from their jobs interrogation squads of Black Cat commandos should be disbanded and interrogation centers at Amritsar Batala at 32 battalion of the PAP and at Jalandhar should be closed down. It was demanded that ‘black’ Acts like TADA should be withdrawn all those detained in jails in Punjab and outside since 1978 should be released and proper agricultural policy should be framed. The AISSF (M) demanded that construction of SYL canal should be stopped all the canal head works in Punjab should be handed over ver to Punjab Government Chandigarh and other Punjabi speaking areas should be merged into Punjab the river water problem of Punjab should be referred to the Supreme Court for a just decision and Punjab should be paid royalty.
The AISSF (M) activists held a rally which was addressed among others by Bhai Manjit Singh. He regretted that although a similar memorandum was presented to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha Shiv Raj Patil at New Delhi yet nothing had been done to solve the problems being faced by the Sikhs in particular and the people of Punjab in general He charged the Government of killing Sikh youth in fake police encounters. He sounded a warning that if police repression was not stopped and the demands listed in the AISSF(M) memorandum were not accepted at an early date the AISSF(M) would launch a non-cooperation movement against the government by enlisting the active support of the people of Punjab. And the government would be responsible for the repercussions.
The Chandigarh police which had made collaborate arrangements to check the movement of the AISSF(M) activists swung into action as soon as the activists started moving for Punjab Raj Bhawan. S.Gupta Inspector General of Police and Sumedh Singh Saini Senior Superintendent of Police were also present The activists were stopped on the Madhya Marg near the Government Press Building. Commissioner Krishan Mohan came to receive the memorandum on behalf of the Government of Punjab but the AISSF(M) activists refused to hand over the memorandum to him. They were demanding that the Governor should come personally.
Saini had a long discussion with Bhai Manjit Singh and it was agreed that. a deputation of AISSF(M). activists would g0 to the Punjab Raj Bhawan and would present the memorandum. Included in the deputation were Sarabjit Singh Jammu Harminder Singh Gill Lakhwinder Singh Ladhomajra general secretaries of the AISSF and P.S.Hundal and Balwant Singh Tohra convenor of Minority and Dalit Cell of the Shiromani Akali Dal.
Surendra Nath is believed to have told the deputationists that the state administrator was making all out efforts to deal with the violent activities of the militants but in doing so there was no question of spreading any terror.
The Governor stated that he was making earnest efforts to deal with allegations of excesses committed by state agencies and he had called a conference of deputy commissioners and district Superintendents of Police to specifically go into this.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 20, 1991
