Haridwar police have arrested All India Sikh Conference (AISC) president Sardar Gurcharan Singh Babbar along with his driver and three other members while the Sikh leader was heading to the city on Baisakhi fair on Wednesday. The AISC condemned the detention, saying that they were detained while they were going to Har-ki-Pauri to take peaceful possession of historical Gurdwara Sri Gyan Godri Sahib from the encroachers, a shrine that was demolished during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984.
The police arrested them from Narsen border and took them to a guest house near a sugar mill in Roorkee. Secretary of All India Sikh Conference alleged that hundreds of Sikh devotees, including children, ladies, youths and elderly who were heading for Har ki Pauri to celebrate Baisakhi festival were detained by the Haridwar police at various entry points to the city.
Speaking to The Pioneer, AISC spokesperson Naresh Malhotra said, “AICC president Sardar Gurcharan Singh Babbar, along with other associates, were arrested at Haridwar border by Uttrakhand police. They have been taken to unknown place and their life seems to be in danger. They were going peacefully to ‘Har ki Pauri’ in Haridwar to take possession of the historical Gurdwara Sri Gyan Godri Sahib from the encroachers. We condemn this cowardly step of Uttrakhand administration and appeal to the senior leaders of the country to release Babbar and other associates immediately.”
Asked about the matter, SP City Navneet Singh Bhullar said, “Around 10. 30 am on Wednesday morning, Gurcharan Singh Babbar and his three associates were coming in a car from Delhi. We got the information about the group moving towards Har Ki Pauri. They were detained for questioning about their plan of action and taken to a guest house near Narsen border, the entry point of Haridwar.” SP further said that they were released in the evening.
As per the sources, heavy forces were deployed by the Uttarakhand police to stop the Jathas (groups) of Sikhs from entering the city from various parts of the country.
President of Sikh Youth Federation of Haridwar Anup Sidhu said that “In 1978, a wall of the Gurdwara had caved in during the construction of a bridge at Har Ki Pauri. The shrine was demolished during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The site now has shops and office of Bharat Scouts and Guides. This is a historic shrine for the Sikhs. We want to get it back from the encroachers. We would not be cowed by the police repression,” he said.