Punjab: Former Patwari Sukhbir reaches Takht against ministers

Punjab: Former Sikh ministers are queuing up to give their “answer” to the Akal Takht as they were part of the cabinet that took controversial decisions during the Akali-BJP government during 2007-2017. To add to their troubles, common people have also started reaching out to the Takht Jathedar with complaints of irregularities committed by the same council of ministers and Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal, who was the home minister at the time. Mohan Singh Bhedpura, who retired last year from the revenue department, has urged the Jathedar to take note of the “injustice” meted out to him by the Akali Dal government which turned a blind eye to his plight. He said he single-handedly fought a legal battle against top police officials who committed excesses during the days of terrorism. He said the council of ministers patronised these tainted police officers, promoted them and extended their services. He revealed that he was implicated in a false case at the behest of the then SSP (Vigilance), Patiala, as he had demanded a fee of Rs 20 from him for obtaining “jamabandi” (land records) in 2009. “Later, I was implicated in a false paddy misappropriation case. In police custody, my turban was tossed, my clothes were removed and ‘kakkar’ was taken off. All this was videographed. The SSP from whom I had taken government fee used to say with pride that he had killed hundreds of Sikh youths,” he said. “A former IAS officer had blamed the then Patiala SSP, Jalandhar SSP and Moga SP for misusing their position by implicating me in a false case and torturing me in illegal custody,” Bhedpura said, adding that since these policemen had insulted “kakkar”, he had approached the Akal Takht. He said the five head priests had asked the SGPC to raise the issue with the government to initiate legal action against these policemen but no justice has been received so far. He claimed that they had brought the matter to the notice of then CM Parkash Singh Badal.