Mann staged dharna against siropas to RSS activists

Fatehgarh Sahib, Nov 18 (UNI) Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann, along with party activists, staged a protest in Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib against honouring of RSS activists with 'siropas' (robe of honour) at the Gurdwara on Sunday evening.

Mr Mann, a former Member of Parliament, took the security by surprise when he reached the Gurdwara premises with 50-odd partymen, around 1230 hrs and began a 'dharna', sloganeering and speeches.

However, the protesr remained peaceful as no one objected over dharna. Devotees paid their obeisance in the Gurdwara as usual and they did not join their dharna.

While addressing his party activists in the Gurdwara premises, Mr Mann said that it was a ''shameful on the part of the Gurdwara Manager to present siropa to RSS men''.

He also condemned delivering of speeches by RSS leaders on the historical gurdwara premises, where sahibjazas of the Guru Gobind Singh were bricked alive.

He also rejected as a ''mere eye wash'', three-member panel constituted by SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar to probe the incident.

He demanded that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, SAD president Sukhbir Badal and SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar should seek public apology from Sikh community for this act or otherwise his party would be compelled to launch an agitation.

UNI XC JN MMS1744