Bitta warns Mann not to repeat Beant Singh statue incident

Jalandhar, May 15 (UNI) All India Anti-Terrorist Front chairman Maninderjeet Singh Bitta today condemned the yesterday's incident in which Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjeet Singh Mann allegedly disgraced the statue of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh here.

''For such incident, Mann should have been booked under the charges applicable for anti-national activities instead of being booked under mild sections of the CrPC,'' said Mr Bitta while talking to media persons here today.

Mr Bitta warned Mann ''not dare to even think of dishonouring any statue of the martyrs in future for the sake of cheap publicity'' and challenged Mann to inform him in advance if he intended to do such ''shameful activities'' in future.

Mr Bitta alleged that Mann was resorting to such activities only to remain in limelight and to get funds from abroad and demanded an inquiry into the incident and foreign funding.

Yesterday, Mann along with his supporters garlanded the statue of Beant Singh with placards carrying pictures of Dilawar Singh, who assassinated Beant Singh.

On the Dera Sacha Sauda incident, he appealed for an all party meeting to address the issue. He also urged the Dera chief to distance himself from politicians to avoid 1978-like situation in the state when there were clashes between Nirankari and Sikh activists.

UNI