Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has urged Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to take up the case of retrial of Sikh hijackers with the Union Home Minister for withdrawal of supplementary charge sheet.
The demand was put forth by SGPC member Karnail Singh Panjoli from Fatehgarh Sahib, who said that Capt Amarinder has shown his willingness to provide legal aid to two hijackers Satnam Singh and Tejinderpal Singh who are going to face retrial in an old case despite serving life sentence for the same offence.
The court in Delhi has fixed July 31 for the start of the trial.
“Sikh institutions are committed to provide legal aid to both the Sikh hijackers. Punjab CM should take up this matter with the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and urge upon him to withdraw the supplementary charge-sheet,” Panjoli said in his letter.
He added that the Delhi police, which has framed new charges against the duo, comes under Union Home Ministry.
Expressing solidarity with the Dal Khalsa men, the SGPC member from Fatehgarh Sahib said that the hijackers were unarmed and did no harm to passengers.
He said that they took this extreme step to focus the attention of the world to the demands of the Sikhs.
“The two Sikh hijackers used hijacking as a tool to lodge the protest against arrest of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale and the state’s atrocities on Sikhs,” he said.
Notably, Delhi police in 2011 had filed a supplementary charge-sheet against five Sikh hijackers in the old FIR pertaining to hijacking case of Air India plane in 1981. Out of five, Satnam Singh and Tejinderpal Singh are facing the trial while Gajinder Singh, Jasbir Singh and Karan Singh are living abroad.