Prayer meetings were held at various places as “repentance” for sacrilege of the Sikh holy book. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal participated in one such meeting at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib.
As tension prevailed amid protests, police and central para military forces held flag marches at various places, including Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur. Ten companies of central para military forces were on alert in four districts – Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Tarn Taran.
In Phagwara, several Sikh activists blocked the Phagwara-Banga-Nawanshahar road near Mehlimudhali village, causing inconvenience to commuters.
In Amritsar, protesters blocked a road at Amritsar-Jalandhar bypass and Harike in Tarn Taran, demanding action against those who indulged in the sacrilege. Some people also blackened a poster of SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar at Lahorigate, police said.
Sikh activists squatted on roads at several places, including Moga, Faridkot, Bathinda, Amritsar, Beas and Hoshiarpur, blocking traffic as part of their over a week-old agitation, officials said.
Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa alleged “complete breakdown of constitutional machinery” and demanded the resignation of Badal and his son Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and imposition of President’s rule in the state.
Meanwhile, the police detained two independent MLA brothers from Ludhiana – Simrajit Singh Bains and Balwinder Singh Bains – when they along with their supporters tried to gherao Badal’s house in Chandigarh. Water cannons were used to disperse the procession led by the Bains brothers.
While Simarjit was detained at Katanikalan, his brother Balwinder was detained at Vardhman chowk. Along with them, 21 of their supporters were also detained. In Faridkot district, traffic was blocked in parts by Sikh activists, who were protesting against the arrest of two brothers in connection with the first sacrilege incident at Bargari village in the district. Family members of the two brothers – Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh – both arrested on Tuesday, for the Bargari sacrilege condemned police action, claiming that they were innocent.
Police said the two were the key accused in sacrilege of the holy book at Bargari village in Faridkot district, taking the number of people arrested in connection with the incidents to six. “Their call record establishes their links to Australia and Dubai,” said ADGP IPS Sahota.
Police registered a separate case under various sections of IPC and Arms Act against unknown persons in connection with the firing in Behbal Kalan where two sikh protesters had died and several got injured. Meanwhile, citizens cutting across party and religious lines observed a ‘Paschataap cum Ardaas Divas’ (penitence-cum-prayer day) at historic gurdwara Sukhchainana Sahib at Phagwara to express repentance over the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib and to pray for peace and harmony in Punjab.
Certain forces trying to disturb peace in Punjab, says CM Badal
Exhorting the SAD-BJP alliance to work towards thwarting attempts to disturb harmony in Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday said some forces, both from within and outside the country, were trying to disrupt its hard-earned peace. He said there were some active forces that were wary of the state’s peace and progress and their sole motive was to destabilise the state government by disturbing peace and communal harmony as part of a conspiracy. Badal was addressing a gathering after the bhog (culmination) of Akhand Path Sahib (recitation of hymns) at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib as repentance over the acts of desecration of a Sikh holy book in the state. The CM said it was time for all leaders of the alliance to come forward and make people aware of the nefarious designs of such forces in order to foil their attempts. Chalking out a detailed programme for leaders and workers of the alliance, Badal impressed upon them to organise Akhand paths in villages and towns and pray for peace and brotherhood. "I am sure every one of you will thwart attempt aimed at destabilising peace in the state," he said.