Manifesto row: Now, SGPC to slap case against on AAP leaders

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Avtar Singh Makkar said he would file a case against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal, party’s manifesto committee chief Kanwar Sandhu and AAP spokesman Ashish Khetan for hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Avtar Singh Makkar said he would file a case against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal, party’s manifesto committee chief Kanwar Sandhu and AAP spokesman Ashish Khetan for hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs.

“We outrightly reject the apology tendered by them as a crime of such nature is unpardonable,” Makkar said. (HT Photo)

Apology doesn’t help, AAP’s Khetan booked for hurting Sikh sentiments

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Makkar said a case under Section 295-A (hurting religious sentiments) of the Indian Penal Code would be filed against the AAP leaders in an Amritsar court for equating the party’s youth manifesto with Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib and also posting symbol of broom along with a picture of the Golden Temple.

The SGPC chief’s statement comes a day after police registered a case against Khetan in Amritsar.

He said the SGPC had rejected Khetan’s apology. “The AAP does not care about Sikh sentiments. The crime of such nature is unpardonable. No party should use symbols of faith and religious institutions for political gains,” Makkar added.

The SGPC chief was left red-faced when asked about the “distorted” religious hymn by revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He said: “Mistakes do take place unintentionally”. Makkar kept mum when he was told that even the AAP has apologised for its “unintentional mistake”.

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