Already making clear its intentions of contesting Uttar Pradesh assembly polls next year, Punjab’s ruling party — the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) — on Monday apprised the UP Governor of the grave problems faced by the Sikh community living in the state.
A high level delegation of SAD’s UP unit met UP Governor Ram Naik to apprise him of the grave problems being confronted by the members of Sikh community living in the State.
During the course of the meeting, the Governor’s attention was brought towards the issue of non-utilisation of compensation awarded to the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh massacre.
Party chief of UP and Uttarakhand units, Dr Rai Singh, said that the Governor was made aware of the fact that out of Rs 800 crore sanctioned by the Centre for the purpose, only Rs 200 crore was utilized by the State Government while the rest Rs 600 crore was returned to the Centre which resulted in problems being by the victims in their rehabilitation.
Bringing more issues of importance to the notice of the Governor, the delegation brought to the fore the matter of Gurdwara Gyan Godri Sahib (Haridwar) regarding which the government of undivided UP had promised to give alternative land in return for the acquisition of Gurudwara sahib land for purpose of providing more space to pilgrims visiting Har Ki Pauri.
But, after the bifurcation of the state in year 2000, no alternative land has been provided till date in spite of the promise made by Shivpal Yadav, the Minister in UP Cabinet.
Rai Singh also sought the Governor’s attention in the matter of clashes that took place on July 26, 2014, over a piece of land belonging to Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Saharanpur, between members of two communities.
He said that after the clashes, while the cases against other community were closed and their victims awarded compensation, the Sikh or Punjabi victims were neither given adequate compensation nor were the cases against them withdrawn.
In another grave matter dating back to 1994, the cases against accused were withdrawn who had beaten up the Sikh prisoners of whom seven were killed and several others injured.
