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‘Khalistani’ jibe at IPS officer: Bengal Guv expresses solidarity with Sikh community
The Sikh community also staged a demonstration outside the Bengal BJP headquarters in Kolkata hours after the IPS officer lost his cool on being called a Khalistani, allegedly by Adhikari, when the latter was stopped from going to the trouble-torn Sandeshkhali area in North 24 Parganas district
West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose on Thursday expressed solidarity with the state’s Sikh community which is agitating against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari’s alleged “Khalistani” jibe at Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Jaspreet Singh on Tuesday.
“We should not do anything which could even remotely hurt the sentiments of our Punjabi brethren,” the governor said in a statement released by Raj Bhawan where a delegation sent by five prominent gurdwaras in Kolkata met him in the afternoon.
“India owes a great deal to the valiant Punjabis. Our Punjabi jawans stand like formidable walls defending national security. Our Punjabi kisans are at the forefront to ensure that we have enough foodgrains to feed the nation,” the statement said.
A spokesperson of the community told reporters, “The manner in which Suvendu Adhikari used the term Khalistani against the IPS officer is insulting. It hurt the sentiment of every member of the Sikh community.”
The governor also promised to set up a garden and install a portrait of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh on the Raj Bhawan campus next month.
“The portrait will be unveiled on March 23, the day of Bhagat Singh’s martyrdom,” the statement said.
The Sikh community also staged a demonstration outside the Bengal BJP headquarters in Kolkata hours after the IPS officer lost his cool on being called a Khalistani, allegedly by Adhikari, when the latter was stopped from going to the trouble-torn Sandeshkhali area in North 24 Parganas district.
“You are calling me a Khalistani because I am wearing a turban. If a policeman wears turban and does his duty he becomes Khalistani? Is this your level?” Singh, a special superintendent in the intelligence branch, could be heard telling members of the BJP team on Tuesday.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and West Bengal chief minster Mamata Banerjee had condemned the incident. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also spoke in support of Singh, a 2016-batch IPS officer.
Adhikari, who is the leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly, denied the allegation.
“The officer behaved rudely. I don’t think any personal remarks were made either by me or my colleagues. Mamata Banerjee does cheap politics and this officer wants to increase his marks before her,” Adhikari told reporters.
The Bengal BJP has maintained silence on the issue so far.
