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The Print
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
A blaze, a ‘missing' report & no closure. Ghost of 1986 Nakodar killings returns to Punjab
'Nakodar killings' refer to the Punjab police and paramilitary forces firing at a group of All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) members, who were protesting against the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib. Four Sikh youth were killed on 4 February 1986 in Nakodar, and several others injured in the firing. Stating that the issue was like a 'chronic wound' on the psyche of the Sikhs in Punjab, Sandhwan added that those responsible for the 'tragic episode' ought to be punished. Chandigarh: The nearly four-decade-old infamous Nakodar killings is back in the news after Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan set up a house committee last week to trace a lost report on the police firing on protesters in 1986. The then Akali government, led by Surjit Singh Barnala, set up a commission of inquiry under retired Justice Gurnam Singh to find out if the police firing was unwarranted. The commission concluded that several police officers used excessive force to control a situation which could have been avoided from developing. Though the report was submitted in October 1986, it went missing for over a decade only to resurface in 2001 when it was tabled in the Vidhan Sabha. However, while the findings were made public, it is still not publicly known about the action, if any, was taken on the report. What report says On 2 February 1986, five saroops (forms) of the Guru Granth Sahib were destroyed in a fire at the Guru Arjun Dev Gurdwara in Nakodar. The 55 page report–a copy of which was digitised by the Punjab Digital Library and is in public domain–states that the saroops were kept in a small room adjoining the main hall of the gurudwara and while the exact cause of the fire was not known, it was believed that this was a deliberate attempt to desecrate the Guru Granth Sahib. The incident flared communal anger and the AISSF, then a radical group of Sikh students, launched a protest demanding the arrest of Ramesh Chopra, the then president of the Shiv Sena in Nakodar, who, they alleged, was responsible for the fire. The AISSF carried out a march in the city on 3 February, damaging public property. The same evening, Shama Kant Jalota, the Punjab president of the Shiv Sena, carried out a counter march with the particpants damaging property. Apart from the FIR registered in the fire incident, two separate FIRs were registered against the two sets of protesters. Curfew was imposed in Nakodar. The next day, a large number of AISSF members gathered outside Nakodar leading to Jaladhar. In defiance of the curfew orders, the crowd started marching into the city. The report said that the police and civil administration on duty claimed that the crowd turned violent and engaged in firing, forcing them to fire. Four youths—Ravinder Singh Littran, Baldhir Singh Ramgarh, Jhirmal Singh Gursiana, and Harminder Singh—were killed. Their bodies were not handed over to the families but cremated by the police. The report however, concluded that the gathered crowd was 'agitated but peaceful' and only wanted to enter Nakodar to have a look at the burnt saroops with no intention of causing harm. 'Had the police not used force on the crowd that day, it would not have led to any major law and order problem. The use of force was unwarranted and avoidable,' it said. The four protesters, it said, were shot from up close and eight others were injured. It added that the police, on the other hand, received only minor injuries. The report pointed out that the police and civil administration did not appreciate the gravity of the occurrence and did nothing to assuage the anger among the Sikhs. It added that the possibility of sabotage cannot be brushed aside as an 'accident' as was claimed by the police. It said the police had already registered an FIR and should investigate the case thoroughly. Apart from Part 1 of the report which runs into 55 pages and another four pages of annexures, the portion of Part 2 that contains depositions by those examined by the commission, files containing evidence and documents listed in the contents of the Part 1 are unavailable in the public domain. Political agenda behind move? On Tuesday, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that a copy of the report on the 'tragic incidents of the year 1986' was available in the Vidhan Sabha. 'But the action-taken part has mysteriously disappeared,' he said during discussions on the Punjab Prevention of Crime Against Religious Scriptures Bill, 2025, urging the Speaker to form a committee to locate this crucial report. Hitting out at Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira whose father Sukhjinder Singh Khaira was the education minister in the Barnala government, Cheema said that the report's missing part will enable the people to ascertain the truth behind the 1986 incidents and understand the actions of those involved at that time, and see the reality of their 'descendants'' current actions. Khaira responded saying that the entire move was not to get justice but to spread falsehoods, leading to a heated exchange. Cheema said Khaira's father opposed the construction of a memorial gate outside the village of one of the victims. Khaira asserted that the memorial gate was duly constructed and dared Cheema to have an open debate. The speaker intervened and asked Khaira not to disrupt the House proceedings failing which he will have to take action against him. Leader of the opposition Partap Singh Bajwa got up to say that Cheema was getting 'personal' in the discussion. Also Read: With 3rd bill in 9 years, Punjab renews push for tougher sacrilege law. What's different this time Not the first time This is the second time in seven years that the matter came up in the Punjab assembly. In February 2019, when the Congress was in power, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded that the report be made public. At the death anniversary of one of the victims in Littran village Sandhwan, then an AAP MLA, said the matter will be raised in the assembly. Subsequently, the then AAP legislator demanded that the report be made public. The then Speaker Rana Kanwar Pal Singh said that it was tabled in the Vidhan Sabha in March 2001 and it was a public document accessible to anyone. The Speaker, however, added that the government had not submitted the action-taken report (ATR). Phoolka replied that even if the report was tabled, the fact that it was not accompanied by an ATR makes it a document that has no legality. In August 2018, another AAP MLA, Kanwar Sandhu, highlighted the Nakodar killings during a House discussion. Later, Sandhu wrote to the then chief minister Amarinder Singh, seeking the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and action on the findings of the report. In his letter, Sandhu, a former journalist, said that he managed to access the report through sources in March 1987. Referring to his subsequent reportage for The Tribune, he said the commission held several senior government officers and police personnel guilty for the killings. The officers in question, he added, went on to occupy senior positions in the government. 'It's all distraction' Baldev Singh, the father of Ravinder, is the only surviving family member among the kin of those killed in the firing. In a statement Wednesday, Baldev said the government was 'distracting' the issue and was doing nothing substantial to ensure justice to the affected families. The matter, he said, was talked about a lot by Sandhwan and Cheema when they were opposition MLAs. 'However, while being in power for over three years now, the AAP government has not done anything to get us justice. We have written seven letters to CM Bhagwant Mann and all these have been sent to Cheema and Sandhwan as well.' Baldev added that his request to Speaker Sandhwan was misinterpreted by the advocate general's office resulting in the disposal of his petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in order to shield the perpetrators of the killings. In 2019, the distraught man filed a plea in the HC seeking the registration of a criminal case of murder against then district magistrate (DM), Darbara Singh Guru; then senior superintendent of police (SSP) Mohd Izhar Alam, and then SP (Operations) Ashwani Kumar Sharma. In October 2023, the government told the HC that a SIT was set up to probe the Nakodar killings. If the AAP government was really committed to giving justice, Baldev said, it should facilitate a time-bound inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to get to the bottom of how the four youth were killed and how a part of the report went missing. 'File charges and arrest the police officials responsible for these atrocities. Without accountability, there is no closure.' Following Baldev's statement, Khaira said Cheema and Sandhwa owed explanation over the matter. Now that Baldev Singh father of 1986 Nakodar Firing victim Ravinder Singh has come in public domain to condemn Speaker @SpeakerSandhwan & Fm @HarpalCheemaMLA for 'blocking his efforts to bring culprits to justice during 3.5 years of @AamAadmiParty rule' i dare these fake… — Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) July 17, 2025 Radicals seek revenge The Nakodar episode made news in September last when a terror module run by Pakistan-based gangster-turned-militant Harvinder Singh Rinda allegedly carried out a low-intensity blast at a residential house in Sector 10, Chandigarh. According to the police, retired SSP Jaskirat Singh Chahal, who lived in the house till 2023, was the likely target. For the past several years. Chahal, along with his family, lived there on the first floor as tenants till 2023 before shifting to Jalandhar. The retired officer has been on the hit list of Sikh militants since 1986 when he was the Nakodar station house officer at the time of the firing. Radical Sikh outfits allege that while three protesters were killed on the spot, one survived the initial firing, but Chahal killed him a day later. Chahal had security cover till October 2017 when the Punjab government withdrew his security. He challenged the orders in the HC on the grounds of being a decorated police officer. He said he got the police medal for gallantry in November 1987 after apprehending militant Gurminder Singh alias Nutty, who tried to escape after firing at a police party with the service rifle of a head constable, killing two constables. Relating his story of the Nakodar killings, Chahal told the court that he played a vital role in preventing communal riots in Nakodar in February 1986. However, in 2022, the HC upheld the government's decision on the grounds that one cannot claim personal security cover as a matter of right for perpetuity. The police intelligence wing also reported no dangers to the petitioner's life, it added. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: Punjab is new Kingdom of Kejriwal as CM Mann plays host but Delhi AAP takes over power corridors
Hans India
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Golden Temple bomb threat: Unemployed software engineer detained
Amritsar: Punjab Police on Friday claimed to have detained an unemployed software engineer for his alleged role in sending emails threatening bomb attacks on the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Bhullar said. He told the media here that software engineer Shubham Dubey has been detained from Faridabad, and the investigation is at "an advanced stage". Two FIRs have been registered in connection with the crime. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had received multiple emails, warning of RDX blasts, prompting the deployment of heightened security. SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said they have received five bomb threats since July 14. The SGPC has control over Sikh religious affairs and manages gurdwaras, including the holiest of Sikh shrines, Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has assured strict action and urged the public not to spread rumours. CM Mann has held a meeting with senior police officials, including Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav. In a post on X after the meeting, the Chief Minister wrote, "We will not allow any compromise on the security of Punjab. Our security agencies and the Punjab Police are fully alert." "I appeal to the people of Punjab to be cautious of rumours. All religious places are sacred and revered by us. We are fully committed to their security. Anti-national and anti-social forces will be dealt with utmost strictness," he added. In response to the threats, the local administration has ramped up security at the Golden Temple complex. Bomb Disposal Squads, SGPC task force members, and additional security personnel have been deployed to secure the premises and protect visiting devotees. Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has condemned the bomb threat and said that the perpetrators will not succeed in their ill intentions. "Miscreants want to disturb the communal harmony in Punjab and spread fear among people," he said in a statement. Sandhwan appealed to the people that they need not fear anyone, as the government has adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards mischievous elements. "Terrorism has no religion and they will not be spared in their nefarious activities," Sandhwan added.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Family of Nakodar firing victim alleges govt ‘inaction', distraction from justice
Jalandhar: After finance minister Harpal Cheema on Tuesday raised the issue of the Justice Gurnam Singh Commission report on the incidents of sacrilege and police firing in Nakodar in 1986, and its action taken part missing from the assembly record, the family of one of the victims alleged that the issue was being used to distract from the real matter at hand while the AAP govt actively blocked efforts to bring the perpetrators of the Nakodar massacre to justice. During the assembly session, speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan announced the formation of a committee to find the missing report . In a statement issued on Wednesday, Baldev Singh, whose son Ravinder Singh of village Litran near Nakodar was one of the four Sikh youths killed in police firing, said that the 1986 Nakodar sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, police firing, and the Justice Gurnam Singh Commission report — along with its missing parts — were not new issues, and both Cheema and Sandhwan actively raised these when they were in opposition. He said that AAP MLAs HS Phoolka and Kanwar Sandhu were the first to raise the issue strongly in the Punjab assembly, and later Cheema and Sandhwan also raised these issues during their time in opposition. "However, after being in power for over three and a half years, they are now using this issue cynically to distract from the real matter at hand. Since taking office, they have actively blocked efforts to bring the perpetrators of the Nakodar massacre to justice," said Baldev Singh. "We have sent seven letters to chief minister Bhagwant Mann, copies of which were also sent to finance minister Cheema and Speaker Sandhwan. Instead of addressing these concerns, they have shielded the perpetrators of the Nakodar police killings," he alleged. Baldev Singh also alleged that his request to Speaker Sandhwan on Sep 29, 2022, was later manipulated by the state's attorney's office to "mislead" the high court, resulting in the disposal of both of his petitions on Oct 7, 2023, even as these petitions were only possible because of AAP's initial support. "Despite these repeated efforts, we have yet to receive any tangible response or action on our grievances. This continued inaction has only compounded the pain and anguish of the victims' families, who have been waiting for almost forty years for justice and accountability. The AAP govt has not taken a single concrete step to deliver justice in the 1986 Nakodar police firing, the 2015 Bargari case, or the sacrilege cases of Guru Granth Sahib," he said. "If there is genuine commitment to justice, order a time-bound CBI inquiry into the 1986 Nakodar killings, the illegal cremation of four unarmed Sikh youths, and the disappearance of Part Two of the judicial report. File charges and arrest the police officials responsible for these atrocities. Without accountability, there is no closure. To this day, not a single perpetrator of Nakodar or Bargari has been brought to justice," he added.
Hindustan Times
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Collective responsibility to promote Sikh history, don't create divisions: Sandhwan to Dhami
Punjab Vidhan Sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Friday emphasised the importance of collective efforts in celebrating Sikh history and centenaries, urging SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami to not approach these events through a political lens. Responding to Dhami's recent remarks on the state government's initiatives in this regard, Sandhwan reiterated that these celebrations are not about political parties but about honouring the unparalleled legacy of Sikhism. 'The Sikh community's history of sacrifice, selflessness, and universal goodwill belongs to all of humanity. It is our collective responsibility to share this legacy with the world. This is not about any political party; it is about Sikhism,' he said in a statement. The state government has announced its plans to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur and the 450th foundation day of Amritsar with events designed to highlight Sikh teachings and values on a global stage. In response to Dhami's concerns over the government's involvement in celebrating centenaries, Sandhwan stated that this is not the first time such initiatives have been undertaken, citing instances of previous governments observing centenary events. Addressing Dhami, Sandhwan remarked, 'You are the President of the SGPC, a representative body of the Sikh Panth, not a political leader of a certain party. Your role is to uphold the sanctity and heritage of Sikhism, not to create divisions.'
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Punjab speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan seeks ‘appropriate recognition' for slain agniveer
Bathinda: In a tribute to agniveer Akashdeep Singh, Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan mentioned that the Faridkot district administration and the Punjab chief secretary are in contact with to ensure the slain soldier received appropriate recognition. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Addressing mourners at the bhog of Akashdeep, Sandhwan expressed hope for a swift resolution. Akashdeep, 22, died in Jammu due to a bullet injury on May 14. His mother, Karamjit Kaur, and father Balwinder Singh were so upset with the central and state govts that they refused to immerse his ashes until the govt recognised him as a "martyr" by providing due honours. Though the family made this demand, the ministry of defence does not recognise the word martyr and sees a soldier who died in the battlefield as a "battle casualty". The family, also voicing opposition to the Agnipath Scheme, demanded its cancellation, stating that because Akashdeep was an agniveer, no honour as per past protocol was accorded during the cremation of his mortal remains. Hailing from Kothe Chahal village near Kotkapura town in Faridkot district, Akashdeep joined Indian Army as an agniveer nearly 21 months ago. Sandhwan, while paying tributes alongside his wife Gurpreet Kaur, said the Agnipath Scheme was not suitable for the nation's security. He asked the central govt to withdraw the scheme and resume regular recruitments.
