Amritsar: Officiating Akal Takht jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj on Wednesday strongly condemned the alleged police action against Sikhs protesting in Mansa and the reported disrespect shown towards their turbans and articles of faith.Giani Gargaj demanded strict action against the police officials allegedly responsible for the incident. He cautioned the Punjab Police and the state govt that Sikhs would neither forget nor tolerate such “shameful” and high-handed actions.He said Punjab’s drug problem was extremely serious and that tackling drug abuse and trafficking had been the responsibility of successive govts. However, he alleged that the present govt had failed on this front.Instead of protecting people, the Punjab govt was subjecting them to police excesses, he claimed, adding that people would respond appropriately at the right time.The officiating jathedar appealed to Punjabis, justice-oriented organisations and prominent individuals to join the ongoing protest in Mansa in large numbers to seek justice for Parvinder Singh Jhota.He said the case concerned Daljit Singh, a young man from Bhamme Kalan village in Mansa district, whose mysterious death had led to allegations by his family that he died due to a drug overdose. The family has demanded action against those allegedly involved in drug trafficking.However, when people gathered to protest and demand action against alleged drug traffickers, the police used force against them and treated them in an inhumane manner, he alleged. The police should act against drug traffickers instead of targeting those demanding action against the drug menace, he added.Meanwhile, in protest against the Punjab Police’s alleged forcible arrest of Lakha Sidhana and other Sikhs during the ongoing agitation in Mansa seeking justice in the Jhota murder case, workers of Akali Dal Waris Punjab De (ADWPD) were scheduled to join the protest on Wednesday.At around 5.30am, the Punjab Police placed Shamsher Singh Padhri under house arrest.Condemning the action, Padhri alleged that chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s govt was attempting to suppress voices demanding justice and democratic rights.
