SANGRUR: Pandemonium prevailed at a meeting convened to pay homage on the occasion of the death’ anniversary of Bhai Mani Singh, who was a head priest of the Akal Takht during early times in his native village, Longowal, about 13 km from here where the SAD (A) and SAD (B) leaders had gathered on a common platform. The meeting turned unruly as the leaders of the two parties exchanged blows.
The tempers of the SAD (B) leaders ran high when Baldev Singh Mann, a former minister, passed derogatory remarks against Parkash Singh Badal for betraying the Akal Takht. In retaliation Amarjit Singh, an Akali Dal (B) activist and sarpanch of Mander Kalan village, raised the slogan SAD (B) Zindabad and SAD (A) murdabad. The SAD (A) leaders led by Gobind Singh Kanjhla, a former parliamentary secretary, and Kamal Singh Pinjoli, a former general secretary of the youth wing of the Unified Akali Dal, then started giving a thrashing to the leaders of the SAD (B) on the dais itself. The SAD (A) leaders who were in majority on the dais pushed Gurbachan Singh Fatehgarh and Gurbachan Singh Bachi, the president and the general secretary of the SAD (B) respectively down from the stage.
Rajinder Singh Kanjhla, a senior SAD (B) leader, during the altercation threw the turban of Gobind Singh Kanjhla towards the audience.
At this stage police intervened and forced the SAD (B) leaders and workers to leave the Gurdwara premises.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 23, 1994
