Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Thursday sought an apology for not being able to catch culprits involved in the sacrilege incidents that took place during the Akali regime in 2015.
Reacting to Badal’s apology, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said apology is only for mistakes, not for “crimes”.
Badal’s apology came on the occasion of his party’s 103rd foundation day.
He also appealed to dissident Akali leaders to shun their differences to come under one flag.
The SAD chief was addressing a gathering at gurdwara Shaheed Baba Gurbaksh Singh at the Akal Takht in Amritsar.
The sacrilege incidents, including the theft of a ‘bir’ (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib and torn pages of the holy book found scattered at Bargari, took place in Faridkot in 2015.
These incidents had led to protests in Faridkot. In the police firing at anti-sacrilege protesters in October 2015, two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan while some people were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot.
Badal said that his late father Parkash Singh Badal had the biggest pain of his life that the sacrilege incidents took place when he was the chief minister of the state.
His father had the pain that he was not given the chance to catch the culprits of the sacrilege cases, said Badal.
He said several forces joined hands to play politics over this issue and a pressure was built to handover the case to the CBI so that the then Akali government could not hold the inquiry to catch the culprits.
“Being the SAD president, I want to apologise with my head bowed before the Akal Takht if we hurt anybody during our government or otherwise. If during our government sacrilege incidents took place, it is the sentiment of the public that it was the ‘Panthic’ government, yes it was. “We apologise that we could not catch the culprits. But we promise that we will put the real culprits behind bars and expose those who played politics over the same,” said Badal.
“I also pray on the behalf of Parkash Singh Badal, my party leadership and party workers that we apologise with bowed heads for any mistake committed intentionally or unintentionally,” he stated with folded hands.
Badal also appealed to dissident Akali leaders to shun their differences to come under one flag as he sought an apology if he had hurt anyone of them. “Those who have ‘Panthic’ thinking, who have Shiromani Akali Dal in their hearts and blood, Shiromani Akali Dal is only one and those factions which want to divide, I want to tell them that there is a strength in unity.
