Punjab minister seeks apology from Sangrur MP for calling Bhagat Singh 'terrorist'

Chandigarh, July 16 (IANS) Punjab Education Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Friday sought an unconditional apology from newly elected Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann for calling legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh a "terrorist".

Responding to Mann's assertion, Hayer said the Aam Aadmi Party government in the state would bestow martyr status on Bhagat Singh for the supreme sacrifice he made for the country.

"A newly elected MP has disrespected the sacrifices of legendary martyr Shaheed Bhagat Singh, who laid down his life for the independence of the country," Hayer told the media here.

A day earlier, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) leader Mann triggered a controversy by saying, "Try to understand, Sardar Bhagat Singh had killed a young English officer, he had killed an Amritdhari Sikh constable, Channan Singh. He had hurled a bomb into the national assembly at that time. Now, you tell me whether Bhagat Singh was a terrorist or not."

Slamming Mann, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal tweeted, "Every Sikh, every Punjabi & every Indian is proud of Shaheed-e-Azam S Bhagat Singh. Every Sikh treats him as a symbol of our quom's unprecedented contribution to the freedom struggle. @SimranjitSADA is trying to undermine this pride & lower the image of Sikhs all over the world."