The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Thursday, October 31, 2002, Chandigarh, India

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Dara Singh suspended as SGJC member
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 30
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said today that Mr Dara Singh, a member of the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission, has been placed under suspension and a show-cause notice issued to him.

Reacting to press reports today that Mr Dara Singh had been ‘’kidnapped’’ by the Amritsar police last night, the Chief Minister said he had sought details and the news was untrue. The fact of the matter, he continued, was that Mr Dara Singh was picked up in a ‘’sozzled’’ position between 8.30 pm and 9 pm. There were two others with him. In an inebriated condition they had picked up a brawl near a police checkpoint and were taken to a police station. A medical report later confirmed that Mr Dara Singh had consumed liquor.

The Chief Minister reiterated that it was absolutely untrue that the government was, in any way, interfering in the SGPC presidential elections scheduled in Amritsar for November 12. He clarified that only those SGPC members had been given police protection, who had specifically sought it apprehending their ‘’kidnapping’’ by Mr Parkash Singh Badal. He agreed to provide a list of such members to the media.

Capt Amarinder Singh gave a clean chit to a son of Mr M.S. Bhullar, DGP, who was allegedly involved in at least three cases of land-grab. The Chief Minister said such news were an outcome of departmental friction and there was no basis for the same.

He was addressing a press conference after Dr S.S. Johl had given him and the media a brief on the report of the Chief Minister’s advisory committee on agricultural policy. The Chief Minister said due to joint efforts by the government, farmers and people of the state, a record paddy production had been achieved despite the delayed and erratic monsoon. The paddy arrivals in mandis as on Tuesday were 111.39 lakh tonnes against 110.62 lakh tonnes on the same day last year.

Capt Amarinder Singh said the record production would not affect the processing of the government memorandum to the Centre for ‘’relief’’. Punjab had invested nearly Rs 6372.38 crore in the wake of the failed monsoon and sought only Rs 3529.44 crore. ‘’That money should come to the government. The Centre must also immediately make available Rs 20 per quintal bonus announced over and above the minimum support price for paddy’’.

About the Johl Committee recommendations, he said, these had the support of the Planning Commission, which was first presented with an interim concept paper on agriculture, including diversification, area specific crop production, procurement, processing etc. in July. Therefore, he hoped the Centre would respond to it in a positive manner and make available Rs 1,280 crore sought by Punjab to effect diversification and jack up the economy of farmers owning less than four hectares.

Badal shocked

The SAD President Parkash Singh Badal has described the decision of the Punjab Government to suspend Mr Dara Singh as a member of the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission (SGJC) as a brazen and pre-meditated conspiracy for governmental interference in the smooth conduct of the SGPC annual poll scheduled for November 12.

“Having failed in their bid to gain a backdoor entry by reconstituting the SGJC by rescining the SAD-BJP Government’s notification, Captain Amarinder Singh and those behind his throne have now decided to resort to such unabashed high-handedness to sabotage the mandate of the Sikh community. Everyone has always known that Mr Tohra and Mr Ravi Inder Singh claim to political relevance flows only from their flair for political intrigues and conspiracies. The Khalsa Panth, however, would never allow such anti-Sikh conspiracies to succeed,” said Mr Badal.

Apprehending that the Amarinder-Ravi Inder-Tohra nexus’ conspiracies could seriously jeopardise hard-earned atmosphere of peace and communal harmony in the state, Mr Badal today called upon all right-thinking persons and institutions, organisations, political parties or social groups committed to civilised norms of democracy in the country to wake up to “the extremely grave situation emerging in Punjab by the vengeful, provocative and ill-tempered decisions and policies of the state government, especially of its Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh.

Mr Badal was reacting to the kidnapping of the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission member, Mr Dara Singh, by Punjab police personnel in Amritsar last night. A police party, about 15 in number, barged into his residence and asked him to issue orders to disqualify five SGPC members belonging to the SAD or else face dire consequences. The police later took him to an undisclosed place. No one in his family or among his relatives and friends were informed about his whereabouts at that time nor was any explanation given for the reasons behind this “most reprehensible act.” The Akali leader said this government was totally oblivious to existence of highly developed institutions working as forceful organs of democracy, including the press. “Just as the Chief Minister and his government are at war with every section of society in Punjab, similarly they are in confrontation with every pillar of democracy, like the judiciary and the human rights commission.

Mr Badal recalled the directive given by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) to the state Home Secretary to ensure that there was no government interference in the peaceful, free and fair election to the SGPC executive committee. The order was a direct indictment of the way this government had been carrying on with brazen interference in the religious affairs of the Sikhs. It needed the PSHRC to put some fear of law in the Chief Minister’s mind.

Referring to the case registered against Mr Dara Singh Mr Badal said the whole thing prima facie appeared wrong and concocted. He said this act of the government was a direct assault on the independence of the judiciary and a naked and provocative interference into the religious affairs of the Khalsa Panth. He said even Mrs Indira Gandhi during Emergency had not gone to the extent of dragging a judicial figure enjoying the status of a judge out of his residence in full public view.

The SAD leader said he had been “shocked” at the sheer audacity of the Chief Minister in challenging the Khalsa Panth on the one hand and the judiciary on the other to an open showdown with him. “This government has opened up a new front by implicating a judge in a fabricated case. What they could not achieve by rescinding our order, they are trying to achieve by desperate measure of booking a judge in a false case. This is amazing beyond words.”

The former Chief Minister said the Dara Singh development had also blown the lid off the myth propogated by Mr. Tohra and Mr. Ravi Inder Singh that there was no government interference in the SGPC election scene. “Does anyone require any further proof of the brazen government interference in the religious affairs of the Sikhs?”

Released on bail
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 30
There appear to be many chinks in the claims of the local police regarding the kidnapping of Mr Dara Singh, suspended member of the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission, who was alleged to be under the influence of liquor when he entered a brawl with two others at the Kichlu chowk yesterday. The investigation made by TNS reveals that such an incident did not occur.

Though the statement, released on behalf of the district police chief, Mr Narinder Pal Singh, has claimed that Mr Dara Singh, Mr Virsa Singh and Mr Surat Singh were taken by the CIA when he allegedly misbehaved with the police yesterday, the police was still remaining tight-lipped about the incident. Mr Kashmir Singh Patti, Chairman, Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission (SGJC) told the correspondent that the district police chief had feigned ignorance about the incident. When the correspondent contacted Dr S.K. Kalia, SP (Headquarters) who has been designated as official spokesperson of the police department, said today that he had come to know about the incident after reading the same in the newspapers only.

Interestingly, Dr Kalia remained inaccessible yesterday. Mr G.S. Sahota, DIG, also showed ignorance about the incident when mediapersons had contacted him for his version late yesterday.

The question which arises is that although a member of the commission, who enjoys the status of a District Sessions Judge, was arrested yesterday, senior officers were not informed about the incident.

Moreover, the TNS team which visited the premises of the SGJC shortly after the incident, learnt from shopkeepers and a policeman that Mr Dara Singh was picked up by 15 to 20 persons in plainclothes and was later bundled into a waiting police vehicle which was parked a few yards away. Mr Dara Singh, who addressed a press conference today, described the police version as a cock-and-bull story. He claimed that though he was not a baptised Sikh yet he had never taken liquor.

Meanwhile, Mr Dara Singh, who was produced in the court of SDM, Mr Gurwaryam Singh, after the registration of a case was released on bail against a surety of Rs 10,000. The next date for hearing has been fixed for November 28.

However, the district police chief claimed that Mr Dara Singh was medically examined by Dr Parmjit Singh, Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, who in his report had mentioned that he and the other two persons were under the influence of liquor. It was revealed that Mr Virsa Singh and Mr Surat Singh had come to Mr Dara Singh in the afternoon to seek favour for an SGPC member whose case was to come up for hearing before the commission shortly. When they went to meet him again in the evening he offered them liquor and the three of them had drinks, after which they went to eat food at a dhaba. While returning from the dhaba Mr Dara Singh allegedly started abusing them and they reciprocated, leading to the brawl.

However, Mr Dara Singh has described the police theory as “high-level drama” enacted to malign him. Meanwhile, the claims of Mr Dara Singh notwithstanding, there are confirmed reports that he had to face the music for having links with Mr Parkash Singh Badal, president, Shiromani Akali Dal, and SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar.

Indication to this effect was given by Mr Sukhdev Singh, a former acting president of the SGPC, who alleged that Mr Badal and Mr Badungar tried to woo Mr Dara Singh by offering his son a job in a SGPC college. He alleged that the SGPC had inserted an advertisement for vacant posts in three of its colleges and tried to adjust the son of Mr Dara Singh. However, the selection could not materialise.