CHANDIGARH – The Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, an offshoot of the RSS, has held two meetings with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for the release of Sikh detainees.
The Sikh Sangat has urged him to review cases of all Sikh detainees and release those have spent a long time in jails. Besides, the Sangat has also asked him to release those who were 75 –years- old on the humanitarian grounds.
RSS national chief Gurcharan Singh Gill said the Home Minister was also requested to remove the names of Sikhs, who are not involved in any anti- India activity for past some years, from the black list. “Terrorism is a thing of past in Punjab. Hence, a fresh beginning should be made and all those who are not associated in any illegal activity should be released after examining their cases on merit”, he said.
The issue of releasing Sikh detainees has been in the public domain for the past many months. There have been hunger strikes by some Sikh activists in this regard in recent past. After the hunger strikes, some detainees were released.
At least 49 Sikh detainees are in different jails. In fact, at the behest of RSS, a delegation of Sikhs, including Jasdev Singh Rai and Giani Mohinder Singh, met PM Narendra Modi during his UK visit. Modi was also asked to review the Sikh detainees’ case and release the ones who have been in jail for long.
Former RSS chief Rulda Singh, who was assassinated in Patiala, had got several names removed from the black list. Singh had also played a leading role in the return of certain Sikh radicals to India. It is believed that the conspiracy to kill him was hatched abroad.
Among the detainees are Lal Singh, Dilbagh Singh, Swaran Singh, Balbir Singh, Nand Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Shamsher Singh, Subheg Singh, Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, Gurdeep Singh Khera, Daya Singh Lahoria and Gurmeet Singh Fauji. The list is already available with the Center as well as with the state government.
