Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
India

Eight years after sacrilege, Sukhbir Badal apologises for failing to arrest culprits

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Dec, 2023 03:25 PM
  • Eight years after sacrilege, Sukhbir Badal apologises for failing to arrest culprits

Chandigarh, Dec 14 (IANS) Eight years after the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib during the helm of the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government in Punjab, Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal on Thursday unconditionally sought forgiveness of the Khalsa Panth (community) for failing to arrest the culprits.

Speaking at the 103rd foundation day of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) with folded hands, Badal expressed his regrets.

"As the President of the party, I want to offer my sincere apology to the Akal Takht Sahib and the Sikh community.

"I deeply regret any hurt caused during our governance. The sacrilege incidents that occurred were regrettable, and it’s a sentiment shared by the public that our government was seen as Panthic. I apologise that we couldn’t apprehend and punish the culprits during the brief remaining part of our tenure.

"I am very sad that we couldn’t understand and defeat the conspiracies of some so-called Panthic individuals and organisations and allowed them to compel us to handover the probe to the CBI. These incidents remain the most painful events in my life and the life of Parkash Singh Badal."

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing cases of sacrilege and police firing in 2015, in February this year filed a charge sheet in a Faridkot court indicting Sukhbir Badal and former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini as masterminds.

The chargesheet also blamed then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for the Kotkapura firing case following sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and subsequent violence in which the police force was accused of excesses that left two people dead.

In Punjab, blasphemy has been an emotive issue in every election since the 2015 Kotkapura firing case.

Sikh intellectuals, social reformers and even political parties prefer to maintain a stoical silence over lynching incidents after blasphemy or 'Beadbi'. They largely blame political parties at the helm for inaction in delivering speedy justice in sacrilege cases, saying the people of a particular religion was forced to take the law into their own hands.

Justice Ranjit Singh (retd), who headed the commission appointed by the previous Congress government into the alleged incidents of sacrilege, had placed the then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and then DGP Saini in dock.

Also, he had castigated the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, whose chief and self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence for raping two of his disciples and a life term for a journalist's killing, for the incident of sacrilege.

Justice Singh made these comments in January last year on the release of his 423-page book "The Sacrilege" based on his inquiry when he was heading the government set up commission.

MORE India ARTICLES

NIA files charge sheet against Lawrence Bishnoi in Gujarat drug case

NIA files charge sheet against Lawrence Bishnoi in Gujarat drug case
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday filed a supplementary charge sheet in the Special Court, Ahmedabad against jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in a case involving the seizure of around 39 kg heroin by the Gujarat Police. According to the statement issued by the NIA, the charge sheet has been filed under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with section 66C of the Information Technology (IT) Act.   

NIA files charge sheet against Lawrence Bishnoi in Gujarat drug case

Led by Punjab CM, thousands hold prayers in Golden Temple for drug-free state

Led by Punjab CM, thousands hold prayers in Golden Temple for drug-free state
Led by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, thousands of youths from across the state on Wednesday participated in ‘ardaas’ (prayer) at Sri Harmandir Sahib here to make the state completely drug free. During the ‘ardaas’, the Chief Minister along with the youth with yellow turbans, patkas and dupattas prayed to the almighty to give strength to them for fulfilling this sacred mission aimed at wiping out the curse of drugs from the state.

Led by Punjab CM, thousands hold prayers in Golden Temple for drug-free state

PM Modi failed to control inflation, people are ready to give him retirement: Congress

PM Modi failed to control inflation, people are ready to give him retirement: Congress
Congress on Wednesday slammed the BJP-led central government over the soaring inflation saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed to control inflation and people are now going to give him retirement. Being critical of the government over the issue of inflation, the Congress has on many occasions slammed the government for failing to control the skyrocketing prices of the essential items.  

PM Modi failed to control inflation, people are ready to give him retirement: Congress

Paddy growers face hardships owing to strike by rice millers: Punjab Congress chief

Paddy growers face hardships owing to strike by rice millers: Punjab Congress chief
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday took tour in Patiala district to get first-hand information about the problems faced by paddy growers in the wake of the strike by rice millers across the state. The farmers lamented about the deterioration of the harvested paddy crop due to the strike.

Paddy growers face hardships owing to strike by rice millers: Punjab Congress chief

Three held in Goa for confining and looting tourists

Three held in Goa for confining and looting tourists
Three persons were held by Goa Police for allegedly confining two tourists and looting their money through the UPI transaction mode, an official said. Calangute Police informed that on the complaint of S. Satishkumar Shetty, 39, from Karnataka's Kolar, the case was investigated and subsequently three persons were held in this connection.

Three held in Goa for confining and looting tourists

'Punjab CM indulging in drama by advertising prayer at govt's expense'

'Punjab CM indulging in drama by advertising prayer at govt's expense'
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal on Wednesday said after failing to eradicate the scourge of drugs from the state, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was indulging in a drama exercise at Sri Harmandar Sahib by using the state exchequer to advertise a prayer session. The SAD president was talking to the media after inducting former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Avtar Singh Kalkaji and a large number of his supporters into the party.   

'Punjab CM indulging in drama by advertising prayer at govt's expense'