Sedition case against Sarbat Khalsa 2015 organizers, including diaspora Sikhs

Amritsar: The Punjab government has reportedly registered sedition cases against the organizers of the Sarbat Khalsa 2015, including Jathedars appointed by the organziers of the Sarbat Khalsa 2015. The event was held at village Chabba near Tarn Taran on November 10, 2015 in which the organizers had appointed Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara as Jathedar of the Akal Takhat Sahib, where as Bhai Dhian Singh Mand was appointed as acting Jathedar of the Akal Takhat Sahib as Bhai Hawara is confined in Tihar Jail in Delhi.

As per media report Inspector General of Police (IGP – Border Zone) Lok Nath Angra has confirmed that cases have been registered against around twenty Sikh leaders at Chatiwind Police Station.

It is notable that organizers of the Sarbat Khalsa 2015, including Bhai Mohkam Singh, Simranjeet Singh Mann, Jaskaran Singh Kahn Singh Wala, Satnam Singh Manawan and Gurdeep Singh Bathinda were arrested by the police on days following the event at Chabba village along with newly appointed Jatehdars- Bhai Dhian Singh Mand, Bhai Amrik Singh Ajnala and Bhai Baljit Singh Daduwal.

[November 10, 2015]

According to ZEE Punjab-Haryana news channel the police has registered the sedition case against Bhai Dhian Singh Mand, Bhai Amrik Singh Ajnala, Bhai Baljit Singh Daduwal, SAD Amritsar chief Simranjit Singh Mann, United AkalI Dal (UAD) leader Bhai Mohkam Singh, Gurdip Singh Bathinda, Satnam Singh Manawan, Jaskaran Singh Kahn Singh Wala, Surinder Singh Thikriwala, Joga Singh Maloke, Reshan Singh USA, Surjit Singh USA, Parmjeet Singh UK, Gurtej Singh USA, Harinder Singh USA, Balwinder Singh Italy, Wadhawa Singh Babbar and Sikandar Singh Warana. Sikh Siyasat News (SSN) was not able to confirm these details from SSN sources at the time of writing this news.

As per information the police has also invoked some sections of Information and Technology Act in this case.

The copy of FIR was not available at the website of the Amritsar Rural Police at the time of writing this news and more details were still awaited.

Sedition – a political charge:

It is notable that “Sedition” is a “political charge” in nature and Indian leader MK Gandhi, when he was charged with sedition by the British government in India, had stated that Section 124 A, under which he was charged, was perhaps the prince among the political sections of the Indian Penal Code designed to suppress the liberty of the citizen.