Chandigarh, May 3 (). The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday slammed the central government in the Supreme Court for taking a U-turn from its stand on the release of detained Sikh Balwant Singh Rajoana and said that the Center was adopting double standards on the issue.
The Akali Dal also said that it seems that there was a strategic understanding between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which was now coming in the way of Bandi Singh’s release.
Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said in a statement here after the disposal of the mercy petition filed by Rajoana as well as the implementation of the Centre’s proposal to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment. The central government has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. It first took up the task of commuting Rajoana’s death sentence to life imprisonment on the occasion of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in 2019 and then refused to take the decision. This has caused untold pain to the Nanak Naam Leva Sangat across the world on the mercy petition filed by the Shiromani Samiti on Rajoana’s behalf in March 2012.
Asking the BJP to clarify its stand on the issue, Majithia said former Punjab BJP in-charge Gajendra Shekhawat had signed a form for Rajoana’s release while paying obeisance at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib.
However, the same party is obstructing the release of the prisoner in the Supreme Court, which is also an insult to the holy throne.
Majithia said the Sikh community was already feeling that it was being discriminated against for being a minority after the release of Bilkis Bano’s convicts, but the way the Center in its previous affidavit had linked Rajoana’s release with national security. Tried to add, this has hurt the Sikh community even more.
He said, Sikhs have made maximum sacrifices for the freedom of the country and are still protecting the borders of the country. The community feels that Rajoana’s release will help in the reconciliation process and the Center should respect this sentiment instead of opposing it.
Majithia said the Sikh community felt the Center would uphold the solemn commitment it had made in 2019, when it announced that Rajoana’s death sentence would be commuted to life imprisonment and eight other Sikh prisoners would also be released. He had completed almost double the term of his life imprisonment.
SGK
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