‘Punish officers who humiliated Sikh youth’: SAD leader berates CM Mann

President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday condemned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for failing to order exemplary action against police officials who had disrespected the “dastar” (a type of headwear) of a Sikh youth, which led to the youth and his brother to jump ito the raging Beas River on 17 August.
In a statement issued in Chandigarh, the SAD president said “It is shameful that despite pleas from the father of the two Sikh youth, the Chief Minister had not acted in the case since the last more than one week. “The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and its Chief Minister have failed the family of the two youths—Jatinderpal Singh Dhillon and Manavjit Singh Dhillon by failing to act decisively in the matter”. Calling for justice for the bereaved Dhillon family, Sukhbir Badal said “A case under section 306 (culpable homicide) should be registered against all those police officials who had thrashed Jatinderpal and forced him to remove his turban. They should also be proceeded against under Section 295 (hurting religious sentiments). Action should also be taken against supervisory police officials who did not react to this issue. A concerted effort should also be made to trace the bodies of the two youths”. Badal said the injustice done to the Dhillon family was symptomatic of the paralysis in governance under AAP rule. “Law and order has deteriorated to such a level that it seems there is no government in the State. With no check on the functioning of the police department, justice eludes the common man”. He also charged that the Chief Minister was directly responsible for all this since he also held the state’s Home Ministry portfolio, giving him control of police forces.