Amritsar, March 27 – Jatehdar Akal Takht ( highest Sikh Temporal seat) Gyani Harpeet Singh gave twenty four hours ultimatum to release Sikh youths who were arrested during the police crackdown. Akal Takht also condemns Punjab government for invoking NSA against seven Sikhs from Punjab by telling them separatists.
Giani Harpreet Singh Jathedar of Akal Takht had convened a special gathering of Sikh organizations including Shoramani Sikh organizations, intellectuals, Sikh lawyers, journalists, , religious, social leaders here on March 27 to discuss the current situation. The purpose of meeting was to discuss atmosphere of uneasiness in the minds of Sikhs due to Police’s crackdown on certain Sikh organisations in Punjab
Addressing the gathering in the meeting Jatehdar Akal Takht gave 24 hours ultimatum to Punjab Government to release all the arrested Sikh youths in Punjab otherwise the anger of Sikh community would remain simmering, he quipped.
Launching scathing attack on certain TV channels for allegedly blowing the issue out of proportion which described arrested Sikhs as separatists, asked SGPC and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee to drag the entire channel in the court of law to defame the Sikh community.
He blamed the TV channels for badly promoting the hate propaganda of Punjab Government against Sikhs by telling the arrested youth as Sikh separatists.
He took jibe at Punjab Police which described the Khalsa flags belonging to the era of Sikh emperor of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh as the flag of Khalisthan.
He asked the Punjab Government to remove NSA (National Security Act) against seven Sikhs forthwith. He said seven Sikhs who were lodged in the Debrugarh jail in Assam should be brought back to Punjab and let the law take its own course. He said it would be wrong to say that there was sheer threat to National Security from the arrested Sikh youths under NSA. He said that hundreds of people who were talking about Hindu Rashtra, NSA should also be invoked against them if such Act was against Sikhs.
Jathedar announced from the platform of Akal Takht that Sikh Panth (Community) was all the innocent Sikhs and would extend all possible and best support to them.
Jatehdar said around 400 Sikh youths were arrested recently and 198 were released but Sikh community wanted the release of all arrested Sikhs. He asked the police to release the impounded vehicles of Sikhs and police officials should he held accountable for damaging them.
He asked the Government of India to unblock the social media pages being run by the people of Sikh community.
