Chandigarh, August 2, 2024 (Yes Punjab News)
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Parambans Singh Romana today demanded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government give immediate sanction to prosecute Dera Sirsa head Ram Raheem under Section 295-A, nominate and arrest dera leader Honeypreet for ordering the sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and arrest sacrilege accused Pradeep Kler in the two pending cases registered against him.
Addressing a press conference here, Mr Parambans Romana said chief minister Bhagwant Mann should tell under what deal he had delayed giving sanction for the prosecution for Ram Raheem since the last more than two years.
“Apparently Bhagwant Mann has followed in the footsteps of the previous Congress government as an application by the SIT to prosecute Ram Raheem under Section 295-A for hurting religious sentiments is pending since September 2021”. He also asked why the sanction to prosecute the Dera head had not been given when the same had been given for all the other accused.
Asserting that the forthcoming byelections and the assembly elections in Haryana were the main reason why the AAP government was not proceeding against the Dera head, Mr Romana said “this is also the main reason why Honeypreet has not been nominated or arrested despite the fact that she has been name as the main accused by Dera leader Pradeep Kler in this statement before a magistrate under Section 164 more than six months back”.
In a shocking revelation, Mr Romana also quoted documents to prove that three FIRs had been registered against Pradeep Kler with regard to the theft of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, pasting of posters challenging Sikhs to save their Granth and the tearing of the sacred Granth Sahib and dispersing of its pages.
He said despite this Kler had been arrested in only the case of theft even though all three cases had been registered in the Bajakhana police station.
“It is clear that Kler is also being blackmailed and has been directed to give statements as per a tailor made script to avert arrest in the two remaining cases”. Mr Romana demanded that Kler be arrested in the two remaining cases immediately and asked the chief minister to explain why this had not been done till now.
Asserting that former chief ministers Capt Amarinder Singh and Charanjit Channi and former home minister Sukhjinder Randhawa had all also given protection to Ram Raheem, Honeypreet and Pradeep Kler like was being done by Bhagwant Mann, the Akali leader said “all of them struck deals with Dera Sirsa at the cost of the Sikh community”.
Mr Romana also questioned the role of the AAP government as well as Punjab Police officials who had failed to take action against Pradeep Kler despite the fact that he had been declared a proclaimed offender six years back.
“Kler is on record too have said that he was living in the dera in Sirsa and that he had not even changed his telephone number”. He said the AAP government should also tell why Kler’s property had not been attached as per law when someone is declared as proclaimed offender.
The Akali leader said the truth was that the AAP government was not ready to arrest Kler even now but its hand had been forced when pictures of Kler attending a function with an Uttar Pradesh minister were cited on social media.
“Even then Kler was arrested in a selected case and was successful in attaining bail in two months. Two more cases remain pending against him and this is why Kler is singing to the tunes of the AAP government against the SAD”, he added. EOM
