-Maheshinder Grewal requests PM Modi to act like a statesman and not listen to objections of the likes of Ravneet Bittu
-Welcomes Cong mp Manish Tewari’s appeal for release of Bhai Rajoana on legal grounds
Ludhiana – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana on the eve of the 401st Parkash Purb of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, saying this step would go a long way in healing Sikh wounds and would help the cause of peace and communal harmony in Punjab.
Addressing a press conference on this issue here, senior SAD leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal said the union government had approved commuting the life sentence of nine Sikh prisoners including Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana and Prof Dewinderpal Singh Bhullar on the occasion of 550th Parkash Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji in 2019. He said it was unfortunate that this notification was not implemented till now. “Earlier the death sentence of Bhai Rajoana was stayed after the SGPC filed a petition to thwart the hanging of the latter which was slated for March 30, 2012 but not carried out after the resolute stand taken by then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal”.
Maheshinder Grewal said following this Bhai Rajoana’s mercy petition was sent to the President and was still awaiting a decision. “The delay in deciding on the mercy petition for ten years amounts to violation of Bhai Rajoana’s human rights and has caused him untold mental torture. Now even the Supreme Court has directed the centre to decide on the mercy petition by April 30. Since the central government has already approved the commutation of the life sentence of Bhai Rajoana he should be released immediately”.
Meanwhile Grewal took umbrage to Ludhiana Member Parliament Ravneet Bittu’s contention that the release of Bhai Rajoana would affect the peace of Punjab. He said the union government had earlier taken a decision on commuting the life sentences of all nine Sikh prisoners after due thought after considering all aspects of the case. “It is wrong of Bittu to let a personal family matter come in the way of Bhai Rajoana’s release especially when he had announced during the Kisan Andolan that if the PM took back the farm laws he would not come in the way of Bhai Rajoana’s release”.
Grewal urged the Prime Minister not to be influenced by the politics of the likes of Ravneet Bittu who had hundred persons to guard them and instead act like a statesman and apply the healing touch. He also reminded Punjabis that Bittu had never raised his voice for the victims of State repression, hundreds of whom belonged to his parliamentary constituency alone.
Grewal also asked Bittu to take a lesson from Anandpur Sahib mp Manish Tewari who was a terrorist victim himself but had advocated the release of Bhai Rajoana. Welcoming the development, the SAD leader said the Anandpur Sahib mp had rightly cited section 430 of the criminal procedure to justify the Sikh prisoner’s release. He said even the death sentence of Rajiv Gandhi’s killers had been commuted to life after Congress president Sonia Gandhi filed a petition in this regard when the apex court cited terrorist sections to deny this relief to the prisoners. Grewal said the same precedent was used to convert the death sentence of Prof Dewinderpal Singh Bhullar to life by the Supreme Court. “Now nothing remains in the way for the release of all the Sikh prisoners including Bhai Rajoana and they should be free immediately”, Grewal added.
