Chandigarh, Sep 23 A delegation of Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) on Wednesday met Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here, seeking his intervention for constituting an SIT to probe into allegations levelled against former SGPC member Amarjit Singh Chawla.
The delegation comprised senior vice president of the party Karnail Singh Peer Mohammed, general secretaries Davinder Singh Sodhi and Bhupinder Singh Shekhupur, executive committee member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Master Mithu Singh Kaneke and SGPC member Jaswant Singh Padhaun.
The delegation handed over a memorandum seeking a high-level and impartial investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the First Information Report (FIR) registered against Chawla and the subsequent developments.
Chawla had been booked on the charge of rape in Anandpur Sahib following a complaint by a woman. Following the registration of the FIR, he resigned as SGPC member and as senior vice president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
He was booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deal with rape, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation.
Chawla, however, denied the allegations as false and fabricated.
He has already been excommunicated by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs.
The SGPC on Tuesday formed a four-member committee to examine every aspect related to the rape case.
The SAD (Punar Surjit) delegation on Wednesday said serious discussions have been taking place for the past several days regarding the allegations levelled against Chawla, concerning the alleged rape of a woman who had come from abroad to the sacred land of Sri Anandpur Sahib, the birthplace of the Khalsa, allegedly through “unethical means”.
The entire episode and the media reports surrounding it raise several serious questions that necessitate a high-level investigation, it said.
In order to bring the truth of the entire matter before the public, an SIT headed by a senior, honest and impartial officer should be constituted. The investigation should be completed on a fast-track basis within 15 days, and strict action should be taken against those found responsible in accordance with law, it said.
The SIT should be given a mandate to investigate who arranged the air tickets of the said woman and her daughter-in-law for bringing them from Bahrain, the delegation demanded.
“Similarly, immediately upon her arrival at New Delhi Airport, the woman was arrested in connection with a fraud case and lodged in Nabha Jail, where she allegedly received VIP facilities. It should also be investigated whether, during her stay in the jail, she met an Akali leader, who was also lodged there at the time.
“After being released from jail, the woman was shifted to the ‘Bhai Bachittar Singh Niwas’ at Anandpur Sahib, so the SIT should investigate who took her there, which vehicle was used and who was in contact with her,” the delegation said.
The woman alleged that Giani Malkit Singh, Additional Head Granthi of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, along with driver Mohan Singh and Major Singh Kaveeshar, also allegedly engaged in inappropriate conversations and exchanged objectionable messages with her over the phone, which should also be probed,” the delegation demanded.
The SGPC has already suspended Malkit Singh and Mohan Singh.
The delegation demanded that it should also be investigated whom the woman met for approximately eight months and it should also be examined why the SGPC allegedly accommodated her under its management and supervision.
The delegation demanded that everyone concerned, from the manager of the Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib to the ‘sewadars’ who were on duty, should be questioned as part of the investigation.
Likewise, it should also be investigated after the registration of the FIR, who facilitated Chawla’s departure abroad and who provided him with a safe passage.
“Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib is the birthplace of the Khalsa and the allegations in this matter and the prevailing manner of administration have caused considerable concern, surprise and resentment among the Sikh community. The developments have raised serious questions regarding the dignity and reputation of the revered Sikh institutions, particularly the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
“The psyche of the entire Sikh community has been bruised through this act for which an impartial and fair probe is a must,” the delegation said.
We express hope that the chief minister will ensure justice to the Sikh community by constituting an SIT to probe the matter and ensure action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime on sacred land, it said.
(PTI News)
