AMRITSAR: A high level deleation of Shiroman Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee led by its President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami met the Punjab governor Banwari Lal Purohit for the release of Nine sikh prisoners who have served more sentences than life.
Apart from Advocate Dhami , the SGPC delegation included its senior vice president Harbhajan Singh Masana Junior vice president Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, General Secretary Bhai Rajinder Singh Mehta , Advocate Bhagwant Singh Sialka , assistant secretaries Lakhbir Singh and Harbhajan Singh Vakta..
During the meeting , the SGPC delegation handed over the complete details of 26 lakh proformas filled by the people under the SGPC's signature campaign with demand letter to the Governor Punjab .
In a memorandum given to governor in the name of the President of India Drupadi Murmu, the release of nine sikh prisoners who have served more imprisonment than life has been sought..
Among them are the names of Bhai Gudeep Singh Khera, Prof Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana , Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara , Bhai Lakhwinder Singh Lakha , Bhai Gurmeet Singh Bhai Shamsher Singh Bhai Paramjit Singh Bheora and Bhai Jagtar Singh Tara,
Apart from this , through another memorandum in the name of the president of India an appeal has been made to resolve the issue of Bhai Rajoana s commutation of death sentence to life .In these demand letters details about the sikh detainees are recorded and the discriminatory attitude of the governments is also mentioned.
SGPC delegation asked the Punjab governor to take serious consideration and decision in the matter of attempted distortion in the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925 by the Punjab government..
While talking to media after meeting the governor, SGPC president Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami said that the discrimination against the sikh prisoners by the country and state governments is a violation of human rights.
The SGPC has been requesting the governments repeatedly to take a decision on this serious matter, but it is sad that the governments are not taking a decisive action .
He said that these 26 lakhs proformas were brought from Amritsar to Chandigarh by a truck, but as the Punjab Raj Bhawan did not allow it they submitted the details in digital form in a pen drive.
Talking about Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana, he said that no decision is being taken on his case even though he has been lodged in 8x8 feet gallows for the last 17 years .
A notiicatio was also issued by the government of India in 2019 regarding commutation of Bhai Rajoana s death sentence to life imprisonment and later the Supreme court has also ordered the union ministry of home affairs to take a decision on its own. Despite this not giving justice is painul.