Punjab government saving Ram Rahim, Honeypreet and Pradeep Kler: Dhami
Amritsar, August 7 – The President of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Harjinder Singh Dhami, has questioned to the Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab Bhagwant Mann, in the cases of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari in 2015 for protecting the accused persons so far.
Addressing the press at the SGPC office here today, Harjinder Singh Dhami said that while the Bhagwant Mann-led government of Punjab is protecting Pradeep Kler, one of the main accused persons in the sacrilege cases, it is also running away from prosecuting Dera Sirsa head Gurmeet Ram Rahim and Honeypreet even after their names have come to light in Kler’s statement. He said that the SGPC will write a letter to CM Punjab asking for an appointment in this serious matter and, if he does not respond positively, apart from approaching the Governor of Punjab, necessary legal action will also be taken.
The SGPC President questioned the Punjab government and said that despite the court statements by Pradeep Kler, one of the main accused in the sacrilege cases, naming Dera Sirsa head Gurmeet Ram Rahim and Honeypreet, these two have not been arrested so far. “Moreover, prosecution sanction is not being given by the Home and Justice Affairs Department of Punjab Government to prosecute Ram Rahim and others”, he said.
He said that even after Pradeep Kler’s name was involved in three cases related to sacrilege, he was arrested in only one case, while his arrest is still pending in the other two cases even though he was declared a proclaimed offender by the court. It is clear from this that the Bhagwant Mann government is only playing politics on the issue of sacrilege and is bent on protecting the culprits and using them as tools. While showing copies of three FIRs and court order against Pradeep Kler to the press, Dhami questioned whether Bhagwant Mann would answer why the prime accused was released on bail. He demanded that all these accused Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Honeypreet, and Pradeep Kler should be arrested and prosecuted immediately.
Dhami condemned the alleged irresponsible statements of former IG Ranbir Singh Khatra in sacrilege cases. He said that the former SIT head Khatra is defaming the Sikh organization by making false allegations. He said that the SGPC was never in favor of the closure report of the CBI, but the Central agency’s report was rejected by passing a resolution in the executive meeting of SGPC on July 17, 2019, and legal proceedings were initiated. The SGPC is fighting a legal battle in this regard till today. Along with this, the SGPC has also filed a petition in the High Court to become a party against Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the next date of which is fixed on August 9, 2024. The SGPC is fighting a separate legal battle in the High Court to stop the repeated paroles and furloughs awarded to Gurmeet Ram Rahim by the government.
He asked CM Bhagwant Mann not to play politics. Dhami also asked the CM to spare out time to meet the SGPC delegation. He said that the Punjab government will no longer be allowed to play politics and run away from accountability in sacrilege cases.
