Akali Dal announces cash award for shoe-throwing scribe

Praising Delhi journalist Jarnail Singh for his 'courage and bravery' in hurling a shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram during a press conference in New Delhi, Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal announces a cash reward of Rs 200,000 for him. Watch the video

Praising Delhi journalist Jarnail Singh for his "courage and bravery" in hurling a shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram during a press conference, Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal on Tuesday announced a cash reward of Rs 200,000 for him.

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"Decisions are not taken by throwing shoes but this incident has showed our pain and suffering. Bhagat Singh had also thrown a bomb in the assembly. We have thus announced a reward of Rs 200,000 for his courage and bravery," Avtar Singh Hit, national general secretary of Shiromani Akali Dal, told IANS.

Jarnail Singh hurled a shoe at Chidambaram, at a press conference here, over his response to the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) clean chit to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The president of the Delhi unit of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Manjit Singh also supported Jarnail Singh's act.

"I fully support the journalist. What he has done represents the feelings of all the Sikhs of the country, and not only Sikhs it represents the feelings of all the law abiding citizens of the country," Manjit Singh told IANS.

Meanwhile, leaders of various Sikh organisation on Tuesday held a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to protest the CBI's clean chit to Tytler in a case relating to the 1984 massacre of Sikhs.

Around 4,000-5,000 people participated in the dharna. The protesters first offered 'ardas' or prayer at the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib at noon after which they proceeded towards Congress president Sonia Gandhi's house. They were, however, stopped near Jantar Mantar.