Chandigarh: Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on Friday condemned the alleged lathi-charge and use of teargas against members of the Sikh community in Ambala on August 13, terming it a “black day” in the history of the Nayab Singh Saini govt. Surjewala alleged that the police action was carried out on the directions of chief minister Nayab Singh Saini against Sikh protesters who, he claimed, were peacefully seeking justice after an incident at Gurdwara Panjokhra Sahib.He said Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Jagdish Singh Jhinda, SGPC members and other community representatives had been pursuing their demands through peaceful and Gandhian means, and had also held talks with the chief minister. Despite this, he alleged, police resorted to lathi-charge and fired tear gas shells at the protesters.Surjewala further alleged that a vehicle carrying Palki Sahib, in which Guru Granth Sahib is placed, was damaged during the incident. He called it an affront to Sikh religious sentiments and maryada. Linking the Ambala incident to the political dispute over a separate Sikh gurdwara management body for Haryana, Surjewala alleged that BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal had opposed the demand since Congress promised a separate body for Haryana in 2005. He recalled that the Haryana Congress government had passed the Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Act, 2014, which later received the governor’s assent. He said the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the law in its September 20, 2022 judgement.Surjewala alleged that BJP had since harboured resentment against the Sikh community, and demanded the immediate arrest of BJP leader Gursimran Mand and his son, a public apology from the chief minister, and a judicial probe into the Ambala episode.
