On May 1, Punjab Police arrested Sikh leader Barjinder Singh Parwana for instigating Sikhs against the ‘Khalistan Murdabad March’ in Patiala. His call allegedly led to the Patiala violence, where the famous Maa Kali Mandir in Patiala was attacked by Nihang Sikhs. Notably, Parwana had urged Sikhs from different parts of Punjab to gather in Patiala against the march.
Parwana regularly instigated Sikhs to gather in Patiala on April 29
Sikh leader Barjinder Singh Parwana had been instigating Sikhs against the ‘Khalistan Murdabad March’ that was scheduled for April 29 in Patiala. He had uploaded multiple videos on his Facebook account where he urged armed Sikhs to gather in Patiala on April 29.
On April 24, he said he was getting calls from people living in Moga, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Karnal, Rajpura, etc., telling him they were prepared for April 29. He said, “You all must stay prepared for April 29. I will confirm everything later. We may have to take a step before April 29. It is your religious duty. Do you understand by being fully prepared? If you have any baton or any other weapon, bring it.” Instead of calling out the state government, he said, “Though SSP has promised nothing will happen, there might be pressure on the from the centre. You know they are making an issue of Hindu-Sikh. We are fighting for our rights.”
On April 27, in a video, he questioned his followers if everyone was ready for April 29. He said, “Are you ready for April 29? Will you all come in large numbers, or will it be like the visit to the SSP office? Do you have the guts to come out of your house? Or the Sikhs of Patiala are only good for opening shops and earning money? We all will gather at Gurudwara Dukhniwaran Sahib Patiala.”
Parwana used parts of Shastra Naam Mala written by Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji in praise of different weapons. In Shastra Naam Mala, Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji had called Kripan (sword), Khanda, Khadag (sword), Tupak (gun), Tabar (hatched), Teer (arrow), Saif (sword), Sarohi and Saihathi as Sikhs’ Peers (seniors) (ਅਸ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾਨ ਖੰਡੋ ਖੜਗ ਤੁਪਕ ਤਬਰ ਅਰੁ ਤੀਰ ॥ ਸੈਫ ਸਰੋਹੀ ਸੈਹਥੀ ਯਹੈ ਹਮਾਰੈ ਪੀਰ ॥). Parwana, after narrating a few lines from it, said, “These peers will help us that day,” and hinted at what kind of weapons they should bring.
He further claimed SSP Nanak Singh had promised him that the march would not happen at any cost.
Parwana had threatened those who spoke against Bhindranwale
On April 23, Parwana had gone to meet former SSP Patiala Nanak Singh. After the meeting, Parwana spoke to the press and said, “SSP Nanak Singh has promised us that he would not let the ‘Khalistan Murdabad March’ happen. We believe he would stick to his words and would not anyone speak against Khalistan.”
Parwana added, “Those people [Hindu group] have a problem with Gurpatwant Singh Pannu. They are free to go to the US and deal with him on a personal level. Why are they adamant about taking ‘Khalistan Murdabad March’? Khalistan is close to our hearts. It is linked to our religious matters. We cannot allow anyone to say ‘Khalistan Murdabad’. It is unacceptable. If Nanak Singh failed to control them, we know what we have to do, and we will do it.”
He also praised actor and Khalistan sympathiser Deep Sidhu who was killed in a road accident. He said, “There are many people here who are clean shaved. Take example of Deep Sidhu. Did he has ‘kesh’? No. But he showed the path to countless Sikhs. We do not need Sikh leaders who are sitting blindfolded in their deras. When required, these young Sikhs will take charge.”
Parwana was missing from the march
Parwana instigated Sikhs not only from Patiala but also from cities across Punjab and Haryana. Many Sikhs had travelled to Patiala on his call on April 29. However, when the day came, Parwana himself was missing from the Gurudwara where he had asked everyone to meet. He was missing during the clash between Hindus and Sikhs.
As per reports, he came to the protest site after the clash. Stayed there for some time and then left on a bike. Interestingly, when he was leaving, Parwana had covered his face.
O Parwaneya😁😁😁 pic.twitter.com/GWg73vA0Ss
— Aashish Thakur (@aashishkumar551) April 30, 2022
Shiromani Akali Dal came in support of Parwana
Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) General Secretary Karnail Singh Panjoli said, “I condemn the Punjab administration and Police for registering a case against Barjinder Singh Parwana. I believe the FIR has been registered against Parwana to hide the incapability and failure of the Punjab government.”
He further added that Parwana had given a memorandum to SSP Patiala in which he had mentioned when Sikhs were not taking out any procession on Khalistan Day why they were being challenged by Harish Singla, but the Police did not take any action against Singla.
“Parwana had said in his memorandum that if the Khalistan Murdabad March was held, Sikhs would oppose it. I believe it was SSP’s duty to arrest Singla and keep him in custody till April 29 evening.”
He also denied any attack on Temple though there were videos showing Nihang and other Sikhs attacking Temple and shops outside temples.
‘He should have been arrested earlier’ Hindu leaders
Speaking to OpIndia, Pawan Gupta, President of Shiv Sena Hindustan, said the attack on Temple was an attack on the Hindu community. He said, “If they wanted to oppose the Khalistan Murdabad Rally, they should have dealt with the organizers. What was the objective of attacking the Temple? By attacking our Temple, they attacked the Hindu community. Now the Police are saying that the accused has been arrested and the remaining will be arrested soon. The district administration had assured us after the sit-in protest that the culprits of the violence would be arrested in 48 hours. However, they should have been apprehended earlier.”
Jai Bhagwan Goyal, BJP leader and President of Hindu United Front, said, “Gurpatwant Singh Pannu had urged the pro-Khalistani elements to celebrate Khalistan Day. No one took cognizance of the issue though they were aware of the announcement. However, when Harish Singla protested and organized a march against it, they took action against him. Notably, he organized the protest outside his office. The local Police were there. Some people from the other side reached to disturb the program, but they were shooed away.
Later, they gathered in large numbers and attacked the Temple. It was to show the Hindus that if we opposed Khalistan, they would attack our temples. Arya Samaj Chowk is three KM away from Kali Maa Mandir. What was the objective of attacking the Temple that was 3 KM away from the protest site.”
He added, “First 100-150 people came, but they were pushed back by Kali Maa Mandir devotees. Then they came with 1000-1500 Sikhs. What were the security agencies doing? It seems they allowed everything to happen. If they had taken action against the accused earlier and put them in preventive custody, the violence could have been avoided.
Now they have removed SSP and IG. What was the objective of removing them? The violence has already taken place. They have slapped Singla with sedition. Are we anti-Nationals if we raise slogans against Khalistan and those who want to break India?”
It seems what Kumar Vishwas had said that they took support from Khalistan, and now they are returning the favour by supporting the Khalistan movement.
The arrest of Barjinder Singh Parwana
Punjab Police arrested Parwana from Mohali airport on May 1. A day before the arrest, Punjab Police constituted twenty teams to arrest all accused in the Patiala Violence case. Inspector General Mukhwinder Singh Chinna, during a press conference, said, “It is a big achievement for the Police. Another accused, Shankar Bharadwaj, an associate of Harish Singla, was arrested. One more Sikh radical was arrested by the Police for his involvement in the violence.” Gaggi Pandit, another accused in the matter, has been arrested for spreading hate speech.
Parwana’s history of provoking Sikhs
Barjinder Singh Parwana has a history of provoking Sikhs to pick arms. Chief of Damdami Taksal Jatha Rajpura, Kathavachak Barjinder Singh Parwana, is known for his firebrand image and often publishes videos and statements favouring Sikh militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Last year he made headlines after getting arrested based on the complaint of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri.
Parwana had released a statement supporting Daljit Singh Kashmir and others who are accused of lunching of Army Man in a Gurudwara in Gurdaspur.
On multiple occasions, he had called for killing those who do sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib Ji or other Sikh symbols. In many photographs, he could be seen proudly donning a massive tattoo of Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
