LUDHIANA: The working committee meeting of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann), on Feb.12, decided to organize a conference at Anandpur Sahib, on March 8, on the occasion of Hola Mohalla.
A large number of Sikhs at that conference would volunteer to “offer their heads” to the Prime Minister, P.V Narasimha Rao, to protest the “genocide” of the Sikh community.
Addressing newsmen after a four-hour meeting of the party, Mann said the alleged killings of former Akal Takht, Jathedar Gurdev Singh Kaonke, adyo Cate Kulwant Singh Saini and his family, Harjinder Singh, Manjit Singh of Punjab Roadways and others would not have taken place “without orders” from Rao.
The party also decided to contest the Jalandhar Lok Sabha election. It would observe International Women’s Day on March 8 at Anandpur Sahib by highlighting police repression on women.
It has demanded immediate release of 50,000 Sikhs from jail.
Regarding the controversy Generated over research works into Guru Granth Sahib, Mann felt pained that Sikh religion was sought to be distorted. He termed it apart of the government’s plan to spread “disinformation and disaffection” among the Sikhs.
Mann asserted that the Shivromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee would “never” be allowed to be scrapped and the Gurdwara Act should not be repealed. However, he demanded fresh elections to the general house of the SGPC even “if it required UN supervision.”
The meeting was attended by about 200 persons, including Dalits, Muslims, Christians, lawyer’s activists of human rights Organizations and district and circle jathedars of the party. Prominent among those present were Bapu Tarlok Singh, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Charanjit Singh Walia and Amrit Singh Mukstar (of the Me Chawla group of the Sikh Students’ Federation).
Article extracted from this publication >> February 19, 1993
