Punjab Breaking News: Sukhbir Badal appeals to Rajnath Singh to consider release of Sikh detainees

Chandigarh, December 5, 2014: Punjab Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today appealed to Union home minister Rajnath Singh to consider release of all Sikh detainees who are languishing in jails outside Punjab for the last 19 to 24 years.

Disclosing this here today, the Deputy chief minister’s media advisor Jangveer Singh said the Deputy CM in his letter to Rajnath Singh explained that the cases of the Sikh detainees pertained to a period when Punjab was in a state of turmoil. He said it was during this period that these detainees committed various acts for which they had been awarded life imprisonments and were lodged in jails in several States and as well as the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

The Deputy CM in his letter said “I feel a time has come now to consider release of all Sikh detainees who have served prison terms of 20 years, including remissions, so that they can be released as per the premature release policies of various State governments and the Union territory of Chandigarh. Badal said "some of these detainees are above 70 years of age and their case for release can also be considered on humanitarian grounds. This decision will also act as a psychological balm", he added.

Giving details of the detainees languishing in jails outside Punjab, the Deputy CM said these included Gurmeet Singh, Shamsher Singh and Lakhwinder Singh, who were serving a prison sentence of 19 years and were presently lodged at the Burail jail in Chandigarh. He said others included Waryam Singh who was sentenced to life imprisonment under the TADA Act and is presently lodged at the Bareilly central jail. Waryam is in jail for the last 24 years and is now 70 years old. Similarly, he said, Gurdeep Singh Khaira, who is lodged at the Gulbarga jail in Karnataka, has spent 24 years in prison. Others include Subeg Singh who has served 15 years in prison at the Burail jail in Chandigarh, he added.

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