Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Patiala
A controversy has erupted after an SGPC delegation, led by Gobind Singh Longowal, met Balwant Singh Rajoana in a separate room and clicked pictures with him inside the Central Jail, Patiala. The five-member delegation spent almost an hour with the convict.
Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu has demanded a probe against the jail officials for allowing the meeting. He said the use of a mobile phone inside the jail premises should also be probed and exemplary action be taken against the jail staffers.
Rajoana, who is facing death sentence for assassinating former CM Beant Singh, had announced to go on an indefinite strike from January 11 against the pendency of his mercy plea with the Centre.
“I have spoken to Jail Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and demanded strict action against the officials, who allowed the delegation to sit in the office of a senior jail official. It is even shocking that the jail CCTV screen is fitted in the background where the meeting took place,” said Bittu. “The visiting delegation not only carried their mobile phones inside the high security prison, which houses many gangsters, but also clicked pictures and shared the same,” he said.
Bittu, a grandson of Beant Singh, accused the SAD of “siding with murderers” after the party decided to urge the Centre to commute the death sentence of Rajoana. “The meeting was against the rules. It is Congress rule in Punjab and I will wait for the government to act,” he added.
Jail Superintendent Bhupinderjit Singh Virk told The Tribune that since the SGPC chief wanted to meet Rajoana to persuade him not to go on a strike, the meeting was allowed on humanitarian grounds. “I allowed the meeting in the office room, given the sensitivity of the case. I had gone for a round of the barracks and thus cannot comment on the pictures or the use of mobile phones,” he said.
Earlier on Rajoana’s mercy plea, Longowal said the SGPC would explore all possibilities and approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah soon. After the assurance, Rajoana reportedly decided to postpone his protest. Longowal said it was sad that the Union Government took a U-turn and Rajoana’s sentence was not commuted. The decision had hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community, he said.
