AAP govt will pursue every avenue to secure Sikh prisoners’ release: Mann

Regretting that parole had not been granted to Jagtar Singh Hawara despite the assurances given by the Punjab government, Mann said the matter now rested with the central government

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said his government will pursue every legal and constitutional avenue to secure the release of Sikh prisoners.

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann during a meeting with the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha and other Sikh organisations in Chandigarh on Monday. (HT)

In a meeting with the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha and other Sikh organisations, he announced that the government had assured the Centre and the governor that law and order would be maintained if Jagtar Singh Hawara, convicted for the 1995 assassination of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, was granted parole to meet his ailing mother, but the Centre had still not approved it.

The morcha has been protesting for the release of Sikh prisoners on the Mohali-Chandigarh border since January 2023.

Urging the organisations to keep their struggle peaceful, Mann said he will take up the parole cases of Paramjit Singh Bheora and Jagtar Singh Tara, also convicted in the same case, with the governor. “The AAP government’s intentions and commitment are absolutely clear, and we stand firmly in support of justice,” he announced in the meeting.

Regretting that parole had not been granted despite the assurances given by the state government, Mann said the matter now rested with the central government. “The Punjab government will take responsibility for maintaining law and order in the state. We have also given an assurance to Union home minister Amit Shah, but parole has not been granted,” he further said.