Amritsar, December 5-
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami reacted to Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana’s hunger strike and said that it is the result of the stubborn and negative attitude of the Centre as well as the autocracy of the Punjab Government. He said that if the Government of India had disposed of the SGPC’s constitutional review petition regarding Bhai Rajoana in time, then he would not have been forced to go on hunger strike. Along with this, the Punjab government has also complicated the matter by preventing a two-member delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal from meeting Bhai Rajoana yesterday.
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami said that Sikh prisoners are being made to feel alienated by being imprisoned in the country’s jails for three decades. He said even the representatives of the Sikh organizations are not being given appointments for meetings on the issue of Sikh prisoners by the Centre Government. It seems that this is being done under some target of the Centre Government. If the government was representing the Constitution then the human rights violation in the case of Sikh prisoners would not have been allowed.
Harjinder Singh Dhami said that Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana has been in jail for the last 28 years and facing the death sentence for nearly 17 years and is awaiting the verdict in an 8X8 feet death row cell. Not taking any decision even after a long period of 12 years on the review petition filed by the SGPC to the President of India in 2012 is sheer excess against the Sikhs.
He said that the Aam Aadmi Party government of Punjab is also not behind in allowing the current situation to worsen. Bhai Rajoana’s life is in jeopardy due to the obstruction of Bhagwant Mann’s government in efforts to stop his hunger strike. If the Shiromani Akali Dal delegation had met Bhai Rajoana yesterday, it was likely that he would have withdrawn the decision to go on hunger strike after a discussion with the Akali leaders.
Meanwhile, the SGPC President also appealed to Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana to end his hunger strike by accepting the resolution passed by SGPC’s executive and the Gurmat philosophy.
Harjinder Singh Dhami also said that the Centre government should still decide on Bhai Rajoana’s petition immediately otherwise the government itself will be responsible for the future situation.