CHANDIGARH: A total Bandh was observed in Punjab and Chandigarh to protest the execution of Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh. The Bandh call was issued by freedom fighting organizations including Panthic committee, the AISSF as well as by various factions of the Akali Dal. The Punjab and Haryana bar Association. Joined the Bandh on January 6 while advocates all over Punjab refrained from working for the past four days. The Bar Association of Jalandhar is continuing the strike even now. Schools and colleges were officially closed; buses and other means of transport were stopped for two days in Punjab and Chandigarh. Haryana and Himachal buses were also not plying in Punjab. Some buses were burnt down by the protester in Faridkot and elsewhere in Punjab.
About a score of persons have been killed in Punjab in retaliatory violence. Bhinderanwale Tiger Force of Khalistan struck at Bad dowali and Rai Amanat Khan and killed fourteen persons.
The executions were carried out on the morning of January 6 in Tihar jail in total secrecy. The bodies of Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh were cremated within the jail premises without the presence of the near relations who waited in heavy rain and chilly winds outside the jail gates for the bodies to be given to them for the last rites. It was only after Satwant Singh’s counsel, R.S. Sodhi, moved the Supreme Court that a few relations of the executed Sikhs were associated in the final disposal of their earthly remains. The remains were not allowed to be immersed at Kiratpur Sahib in the Sutlej as was pleaded by counsel Sodhi in accordance with the Sikh practice. But these were taken secretly under heavy police escort to Hardwar to be thrown in the Ganges. The government showed intelligence reports to Chief Justice R.S. Pathak and another Supreme Court judge to convince them that it was unsafe to allow ashes to be taken to Punjab where a memorial Gurdwara would be raised by the Sikhs to cause law and order problem. Meanwhile an Akhand Path was started at Akal Takht by the SGPC for the peace of the executed martyrs.
Unmindful of the Sikh national mourning, the Akali factions continued the government sponsored unity move to get all Dal factions together for a possible political patch up in an attempt at isolating the freedom fighters. Surjit Singh Barnala and Jagdev Singh Talwandi met at the latter’s village, Talwandi Rai in Ludhiana district Two days ago to hold cordial talks. Talwandi’s house is heavily guarded by security forces while Barnala is usually escorted by a few carloads of policemen to protect him.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 13, 1989
