Amritsar: Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) on Sunday challenged Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu and All India Anti Terrorist Front chairman Maninderjit Singh Bitta to make public documentary evidence supporting claims that 35,000 Hindus were killed during Punjab’s militancy, while reiterating its demand for a “truth commission” to establish an official account of the violence.Senior vice-president Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad said that as Bittu had sought documentary proof from the makers of the film ‘Satluj’ for claims relating to 25,000 unidentified bodies, the public also had the right to know the basis for the claim that 35,000 Hindus were killed.Media secretary Tejinder Singh Pannu claimed that no side currently possessed a complete and authenticated record of the deaths during the militancy period. Referring to late human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, he said convictions against police officials came only after Khalra documented cases of unidentified bodies and submitted evidence to the CBI.The party demanded the constitution of a “truth commission” to establish how many Sikh youths were killed in alleged fake encounters and how many civilians lost their lives during the militancy years. It said an impartial inquiry, rather than competing claims over casualty figures, was needed to establish the truth and deliver justice to victims’ families.
