Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders had a narrow escape after angry Sikh protestors rushed into the State Gurdwara here on Friday breaking the heavy police wall and barricades to attack them.
SAD leaders including Bholath MLA Bibi Jagir Kaur, former minister Bibi Upinderjit Kaur, SAD district president Jarnail Singh Wahid and district planning committee chairman Sarabjit Singh Makkar, were here to attend the Bhog ceremony of Akhand Path, organised to pray for peace and harmony in the state in view of the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib at several places.
However, taking precautionary measures in view of the Oct 21 incident when Sikh protestors did not allow Akali leaders to enter the gurdwara, district police had deployed heavy police force around the gurdwara to avoid any untoward incident.
Sikh protesters, led by Narinder Singh Khusropur, district president of SAD (Amritsar), were protesting peacefully from a distance from the gurdwara, behind the heavy police protection wall since morning.
The protestors were demanding five minutes from the police to interact with the SAD leaders but cops repeatedly denied them entry into the gurdwara and assured them to give them time to meet the leaders after completion of the function.
After being repeatedly denied by the police, Khusropur also warned them that they will break the wall, if police to arrange their meeting with the SAD leaders.
As the function was nearing completion and devotees started to leave the venue, Sikh protestors, who were in small number, broke the police barricade protected by a police force of more than 400 cops and rushed into the gurdwara chanting pro-Khalistan and Anti-SAD slogans.
While on one side slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ echoed in the hall, slogans like ‘Badal Kuta Murdabad’ and ‘Akali Dal Party Murdabad’ were also raised by the angry protestors.
Sources said that after protestors broke the police protection wall, cops informed the SAD leaders who began to leave gurdwara premises hurriedly.
Armed with swords, the Sikh protestors thrashed SAD leaders and workers, as they tried to leave the venue from the backside. The protested also smashed glasses of two cars, including of Gurdev Kaur, party’s former president of Kapurthala city.
Incapable cops closed doors of the gurdwara after SAD leaders left the premises to restrict protestors from going outside and to avoid any untoward incident.
Moreover, despite the presence of senior leaders of ruling party in the gurudwara, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kapurthala Rajinder Singh and deputy commissioner (DC) Kapurthala Daljit Singh Mangat remained missing at the spot.
