1986 police firing in Punjab: Victims’ kin object to ex-IAS officer’s appointment as adviser to SAD’s working prez

The kin in a letter to Akal Takht objected to the appointment of Darbara Singh Guru citing his alleged role in the police firing incident.

The kin of the victims of the 1986 police firing in Nakodar objected to the appointment of ex-IAS officer Darbara Singh Guru as adviser to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)’s working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar. The kin in a letter to Akal Takht objected to the appointment of Guru citing his alleged role in the police firing incident.

The office of the Akal Takht is located in the Golden Temple complex. (HT File)

This comes days after the highest Sikh temporal seat declared the party president Sukhbir Singh Badal ‘tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) for mistakes committed by the party and its government from 2007 to 2017.

The police firing took place on February 2, 1986, in the Gurdwara Guru Arjan Dev Jee in Jalandhar district, during the Akali government. Four Sikh youths—Ravinder Singh Littran, Baldhir Singh Ramgarh, Jhilman Singh Gorsian, and Harminder Singh Chalupar—were shot by the police during a protest against the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib. Izhar Alam was Jalandhar SSP then, while Guru was additional deputy commissioner (ADC) and was officiating as deputy commissioner.

“It is deeply troubling that while Sukhbir Singh Badal and his party are seeking an apology from Akal Takht for their past crimes, they have appointed Darbara Singh Guru, a key figure in the incident, as chief adviser to the acting president,” reads the letter sent by Baldev Singh and Baldip Singh who are parents of the victim named Ravinder Singh Littran.

Attempts to contact Guru via calls and text messages didn’t elicit any response.