Sikh bodies urge Akal Takht to expedite release of detainees

Amritsar, Various Sikh bodies have urged Akal Takht to exercise its authority to secure the release of detainees belonging to the community languishing in various jails across the country despite completion of their sentence.They claimed Akal Takht, as highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, had the power to direct the Centre as well as state governments to free the detainees. The representatives claimed Akal Takht was only lowering its sanctity by repeatedly appealing to various authorities to release the prisoners.Akal Purakh Ki Fauj director Jaswinder Singh said the Jathedar should direct the states and the Centre to expedite the release of the detainees instead of indulging in mere holding of meetings. These organisations today approached Akal Takht to submit a memorandum of demands pertaining to various Sikh issues.On the other hand, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh maintained that release of Sikh detainees was a judicial matter. He said a panel of lawyers would be formed to conduct the feasibility study of these cases.The Jathedar said the Supreme Court had barred the release of the detainees. “We approached the Union Home Ministry as the matter is not under the state government’s jurisdiction. We have received positive signals and some concrete measures will be taken shortly,” he said.A delegation of Sikh leaders had met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday with a list of 80 Sikh detainees.They also demanded that SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar and Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal should be instantly directed to expedite the matter as even after a lapse of a year, nothing concrete had been achieved.SAD (Amritsar) representatives, including Dhyan Singh Mand, Harbir Singh Sandhu and Iqbal Singh Tiwana, said, “It appears the state government was never serious about the issue.”