M A I N   N E W S

Tender apology, SAD asks Tohra
Revelations in Amritsar ex-DC’s book
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 15
The SAD today urged former SGPC chief G.S. Tohra to tender an unconditional apology by presenting himself at Akal Takht. He has been urged to do so in the light of “revelations” made in a book authored by former Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, Mr Sarabjit Singh.

A party spokesman said that Mr Tohra had made the Golden Temple and Akal Takht headquarters of anti-Sikh and anti-Punjab conspiracies at the behest of former Union Home Minister Buta Singh and intelligence agencies.

He said Mr Tohra should respond to the allegations levelled by former Jathedar of Akal Takht Bhai Ranjit Singh and a constituent of the Panthic Morcha, Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, who had stated that Mr Tohra’s faction got support of the Congress in the recent DSGMC elections.

The SAD spokesman claimed the Amarinder Singh Government had replaced the members of the Sikh Judicial Gurdwara Commission at the instance of Mr Tohra. He alleged Capt Amarinder Singh was using Mr Tohra against the SAD. Mr Tohra had become an extension of Capt Amarinder Singh’s politics in the state.

Mr Tohra was left with no other alternative but to apologise for the “sins” committed by him, the party spokesman said. Earlier, a resolution was also passed against Mr Tohra at a meeting of SAD legislators.

AMRITSAR: The Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal (SHSAD) on Monday asked Mr Parkash Singh Badal, President, Shiromani Akali Dal, to clarify why he did not attend the emergency meeting on June 3, 1984, a day before “Operation Bluestar” at Amritsar.

Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, confidant of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, President, SHSAD, said Mr Badal had deliberately avoided visiting Amritsar during “Operation Bluestar” as he did not want to put his life in danger. Later, he (Mr Badal) managed to get himself arrested after the completion of the Army operation so that he was safe in the jail. However, Mr Tohra, the then SGPC chief, who was at Anandpur Sahib when the CRPF opened fire on the SGPC complex on June 1, killing at least seven youths, rushed to Amritsar on hearing of the incident.

At the time of the high-level meeting between the Akalis and Central government, it was Mr Tohra who protested when Rajiv Gandhi mentioned that if the government wanted to please the Hindu vote bank, it should send the Army into the Golden Temple. However, Mr Badal kept mum at the meeting and did not react to Rajiv’s utterance. He said it was not true that Mr Tohra had clue about the impending operation. In fact, the then PM Indira Gandhi assured Mr Tohra that such a thing would never happen.

“While almost all Akali leaders, including Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, Mr Tohra, Mr Manjit Singh Tarn Tarani, Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, were attacked, no attack was engineered against Mr Badal”, he said. That is because the family members and confidants of Mr Badal always played the ‘safe game’, Mr Calcutta added. He further alleged that though Mr Badal had given a call to Sikh Army men to desert their barracks in the wake of Operation Bluestar, he did nothing for them during his five-year tenure as Chief Minister.

The SHSAD leader said that Mr Tohra was ready for an open debate with Mr Badal and Mr Sarbjit Singh, former Deputy Commissioner and author of ‘Operation Black Thunder’, at any public place. Mr Calcutta said Mr Tohra was also ready to appear before Akal Takht to clarify his position.

Mr Calcutta said the “outburst of Mr Badal against Mr Tohra was due to the latter’s increasing popularity”. He alleged that Mr Badal was never sincere towards the Sikh agenda that was why he was not present on the floor of the House when he (Mr Calcutta) brought resolution condemning the Delhi riots or Operation Bluestar on the floor of the House.