Khalsa not allowed to leave for Amritsar

Ambala,

Sikh activist Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa’s cavalcade was stopped from proceeding towards Amritsar today. The situation at Lakhnaur Sahib Gurdwara, 15 km from here, remained tense throughout the day.As advised by his supporters, Khalsa decided to leave for Amritsar this afternoon. As he walked out of the gurdwara, he was stopped by the Haryana police.Khalsa and his supporters squatted on the road and began to recite prayers.Meanwhile, the Punjab government deployed police contingents at the Shambu barrier. Sources said the police officer assured Khalsa that a police team would escort him to the Golden Temple late in the evening. Bhagwant Mann, AAP leader, reportedly held talks with senior police officials in this regard.Khalsa returned to Lakhnaur Sahib Gurdwara at 5 pm. Khalsa reportedly sent his supporters to Amritsar to offer prayers on his behalf. Haryana police and Punjab CID personnel remained stationed at the gurdwara all through the day. The civil administration tried to pursuade Khalsa, who is on an indefinite fast, to shift to the PGI, Chandigarh, but in vain.Rajpura: There was heavy security at the Shambhu barrier with Sikh activist Khalsa expected to meet Shamsher Singh Shera, convicted in the Beant Singh assassination case (he is out on parole) at Uksi Jattan village today.Hundreds of residents of nearby villages gathered at the barrier to welcome Khalsa and his supporters. They held langars at different places.Paramjit Singh Gill, IG, Patiala zone, Shiv Kumar Verma, DIG, Patiala Range, Patiala Deputy Commissioner Varun Roojam and Patiala SSP Gurmeet Singh Chauhan remained present at the site to ensure adeqauate security in the area. But Khalsa did not turn up.Meanwhile, the SAD Member of Parliament from Anandpur Sahib, Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, today termed Khalsa’s demand to free Sikh detainees as ‘just’.He said the SAD had time and again raised the issue in the Lok Sabha and Akali MPs had also met the Union Home Minister in this regard.“The SAD has decided to appeal to the Supreme Court to set up a special Bench for hearing such cases at the earliest,” he said.