Punjab: Sikhs, Muslims, Dalits to take out march in Jalandhar on eve of I-Day

The march by Dal Khalsa, Shiromani Akali Dal and BAMCEF is in protest against the “pseudo-nationalism being imposed on Punjab by the Central Government, injustice being done to Sikh political prisoners beside the unconstitutional loot of the river waters of Punjab.”

Sikh outfits Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and All-India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) will jointly hold a conference on the eve of Independence Day and take out a march in Jalandhar in protest against the “pseudo-nationalism being imposed on Punjab by the Central Government, injustice being done to Sikh political prisoners beside the unconstitutional loot of the river waters of Punjab”.

In a joint press conference by the three outfits, the activists Friday announced to come together to devise a common strategy to challenge the onslaughts of ‘Hindutva government at the Centre’ against the minorities and struggling nationalities.

The meeting will be held at Gurdwara Patshahi 9, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar in Jalandhar in the afternoon of August 14, after which the activists will march through the main markets of Model Town up to Guru Amar Das Ji Chowk which will have representations from Muslim, Sikh and Dalit communities, they said.

Dal Khalsa spokesman Paramjit Singh Mand, organisational secretary Ranveer Singh, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) secretary Amrik Singh Ballowal, district president Sukhjit Singh Daroli and BAMCEF’s Rajinder Rana said that the ethnic and religious minorities that joined the Indian Union on August 15, 1947 could not experience the glow of freedom as promised by then Indian leadership. They said that for the past 75 years the religious minorities and indigenous groups were being exploited, abused and oppressed by the rulers for political interests and votes.

Calling for a boycott of August 15 celebrations, Mand said, “Despite the completion of the sentence term the ‘Bandi Singhs’ were still prisoners languishing in several jails. After looting the river waters, now the Government of India is contemplating usurping the capital of Punjab, atrocities and excesses being faced by the political prisoners and human rights defenders from Kashmir to Central India till date, blocking of the social media (Facebook and Twitter) to deprive dissenters of freedom of speech were enough reasons for minorities to stay away from celebrations.”

Mand said that there was nothing to rejoice about August 15.

Condemning the past and present governments of Punjab regarding the sacrilege incidents, he said that it has been seven years since the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari Police firing at Behbal, and the killings of two Singhs, Akali, Congress and now AAP in Punjab have made a mockery of the justice.

Every government has played cheap politics by using the sacrilege issue to get votes, he said.

On the occasion, he expressed solidarity with the Kashmiris who are struggling for freedom due to the abrogation of Article 370 three years ago and detaining Kashmiris at gunpoint. Mand said that Punjab stands with the Kashmiris and sought the release of all the political prisoners detained for the past three years and the resolution of the Kashmir dispute according to the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Courtesy : TIE

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