In a bid to mobilise support for Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, whose mercy petition was rejected by President Pratibha Patil last month, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar with the support of different Sikh bodies today organised a rally at the Amb Sahib Gurdwara here before a 21-member delegation proceeded to Chandigarh to submit a memorandum to the Punjab Governor.
In the absence of the Governor, the memorandum was submitted to his secretary.
Addressing a gathering at the gurdwara, Makkar said, “In a democratic set up like India, announcing capital punishment in a case where there was no consensus among the panel of judges deciding the case reflects injustice. There was no witnesses support either against Bhullar.”
Notably, the SGPC has already decided to approach the United Nations Human Rights Commission seeking its intervention to save Bhullar.
Citing the names of terrorists (settled abroad) who were off the blacklist, Makkar alleged that the Centre was showing sympathy towards the community but at the same time not respecting the mass appeal by the community leaders in the case.
In the memorandum sent to the President through the Punjab Governor, Makkar said, it had been pointed out that when the main accused in the case had been acquitted, then sentencing Bhullar to death for helping the main accused was “total injustice”.
Upkar Kaur, Navneet Kaur, Bhullar’s mother and wife, respectively, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and other prominent Akali leaders and SGPC members were also present on the occasion.
