Clash at Akal Takhat on 6 June: Mann dares state government to arrest him

Moga/Amritsar (June 08, 2014): Breaking the silence over the “clash controversy” at Akal Takhat Sahib on June 06, 2014, president Shiromani Akali Dal Mann (SAD-M) Simranjeet Singh Mann has dared state government to arrest him if he is guilty. He accused Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar of conspiring to defame him by proving him guilty of 6 June clash.

Addressing a news conference at Amritsar, Mann alleged that he had followed the instructions of Jathedar Gyani Gurbachan Singh to pacify the protesters at Akal Takhat but the employees of Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee started the clash by refusing us providing loud speaker.

“After Jathedar concluded his speech, the Sikh youngsters started raising pro-Sikh slogans. We tried to pacify them with the help of micro-speaker but it proved ineffective. So we requested employees of SGPC to provide a loud speaker for the purpose, but they thrashed one of our supporters”, alleged Mann.

When I reached at the Takhat to have a talk with SGPC employees they even asked me to vacate the place.

SGPC is responsible for the clash and a cross case should be registered against the SGPC people, he added.

“I will go to High Court to bring justice”, said Mann while demanding release of Sikh youth, who were detained on the day.

“Akal Takhat Jathedar has neither held me guilty nor mentioned my name so far”, he claimed.

On the other hand, Gyani Gurbachan Singh while denying the fact said, “I have not given clean chit to him. The investigation report of SGPC will unveil the truth”.

Earlier during the day, Amritsar police stopped Mann from conducting press conference at circuit house in Amritsar.