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Sukhbir deputes five-member delegation to MP to assist Sikligars
Over 35,000 Sikligars live in Madhya Pradesh along the Narmada River. Members of the community claim that they have been ignored for decades and even implicated in false criminal cases
Chandigarh Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday deputed a five-member party delegation to visit Madhya Pradesh to assist the Sikligar community, which has alleged undue harassment by the police of the Central Indian state. They also allege that they are being forced to leave their homes and take refuge in forests.
Sukhbir said Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjinder Singh Sirsa is heading this delegation. Over 35,000 Sikligars live in Madhya Pradesh along the Narmada River. Members of the community claim that they have been ignored for decades and even implicated in false criminal cases. “We will pursue a package to bring them back into the national mainstream,” Sukhbir said.
Sirsa added that the community had helped the Sikh Guru Sahiban in the war against Mughals by making Kirpans and other weapons, and later they made such kind of ammunition for the Indian freedom struggle. “It is shocking to see their current state, where police officials are torturing them and forcing them to flee to nearby jungles. Many of them have been arrested and jailed,” Sirsa added.
