SGPC members seek excommunication of Sukhbir attacker

While a section of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) met Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh on Saturday, urging him to excommunicate former militant Narain Singh Chaura who made an assassination attempt on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal at the entrance of Golden Temple, radical Sikh leaders sought punishment for a youth Akali Dal leader who reportedly tossed Chaura’s turban in the melee after the attack.
SGPC junior vice-president Baldev Singh Kalyan and executive committee members Surjit Singh Tugalwala, Paramjit Singh Khalsa, Amrik Singh Vachhoa and Ravinder Singh Khalsa met Giani Raghbir Singh at the Akal Takht secretariat and handed over a memorandum to him.
“Under the tankhah awarded by Akal Takht, Sukhbir Singh Badal was performing duty of ‘sewadar’ at the entrance of Golden Temple with dedication, when Narain Singh launched an attack on him. The bullet fired by him hit the pillar of the deodi (entrance building). This attack is not only a direct violation of the edict of Akal Takht Sahib, but also a desecration of Central shrine of Sikhs, hurt sentiments of the devotees visiting the shrine.”
Later, a delegation of the radical Sikh organisation, Dal Khalsa, also turned up there to hand over a memo.
As doors of Akal Takht secretariat were locked, Dal Khalsa activists, led by working president Paramjit Singh Mand, pasted the copy of the memorandum addressed to Akal Takht jathedar outside the main gate.
“Police arrested him (Chaura) and started legal proceedings against him under relevant sections. The law will take its own course. We have no regrets about it. Our objection and resentment is against the Akali activist who has deliberately insulted a Sikh by tossing his turban,” said Mand.
He said, “We appeal to the Akal Takht Sahib to take appropriate and immediate action against the youth Akali activist according to Sikh principles. This incident of dishonouring the turban has hurt the sentiments of thousands of Sikhs, and we are articulating those hurt sentiments by writing to you.”
“Our appeal is that as a jathedar, if you feel the need, instead of asking for a judicial investigation related to the attack on Sukhbir, Akal Takht could conduct an investigation on its own,” he added.