Release Sikh prisoners jailed beyond their prison term: Harsimrat

New Delhi, April 4

Former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday demanded the release of all Sikh prisoners incarcerated across Indian jails beyond the completion of jail terms.

The Bathinda MP, raising issue in Parliament today, said following the 1984 “attack on Sri Harmandir Sahib by the Congress Government, several Sikhs were swayed and took the law in their own hands.”

She said the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had been seeking the release of the detainees after the completion of their sentences but many continued to be in prisons even after 25 years.

Harsimrat said that during the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in 2019, the NDA Government had granted special remission to eight Sikh prisoners.

“These prisoners included Prof Devenderpal Singh Bhullar whose death sentence had been commuted to life imprisonment earlier in March, 2014 and Gurdeep Singh Khaira. Despite this clear order, the AAP Government in Delhi led by Arvind Kejriwal is not allowing the release of Prof Bhullar,” said Harsimrat.

She said similarly Gurdeep Singh Khaira was incarcerated in a Karnataka jail without parole for more than 25 years.

Speaking about the inordinate delay in taking a decision on the mercy petition of death-row prisoner Balwant Singh Rajoana, Harsimrat said now even the apex court had directed the Centre to take a decision on the mercy petition of Rajoana by April 30.

She said Rajoana was incarcerated for 27 years and had been given a parole for an hour to attend the last rites of his father recently.

Badal said if the killers of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi could be freed, there should not be discrimination against Sikh prisoners.