Ravneet Bittu Terms Bapu Surat Singh’s Strike for Human Rights “Unjustified”

Ludhiana : Ludhiana Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu on Saturday demonstrated against the hunger strike being served by Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa for the release of Sikh political prisoners who have completed their jail terms. He described the protest and demands of Surat Singh Khalsa as “unjustified” and “against the interest of the state”.Bittu is the grandson of Punjab’s infamous ex-Chief Minister Beant “Singh”, who violated the human rights of Sikhs by murdering thousands of innocent Sikh youths extra-judicially on the pretext of ending “terrorism”. For this, Beant was assassinated by Sikh youth in 1995 at Punjab civil Secretariat at Chandigarh. Bittu made his way to the hospital in which Surat Singh Khalsa is currently residing, claiming he only wanted to perform a peaceful ‘Ardaas’ and send a message to Khalsa and his supporters that the fast must end “to keep Punjab peaceful.” Then he, along with his supporters, started demonstration carrying banners. He stayed silent over the matter of the brutal regime of his grandfather.He said the “fast it is acting as a catalyst for Khalistani separatists” who are considering “Khalsa as their supporter and getting encouraged.” Bittu was accompanied by Congress MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu.He further said, “The Gurdaspur terror attack has shown how Punjab is sitting on a volcano. It can erupt any time. How can terror convicts, or what Khalsa calls Sikh prisoners, be released till the court gives a verdict in their cases? Tomorrow, if any untoward incident happens in Punjab, Khalsa cannot disassociate himself with it because his fast is misleading and sending out a wrong message.”Sikh organizations strongly slammed Bittu for his ill-logic and derogatory remarks against Bapu Surat Singh. Reacting to his remarks, Sikh leaders said that the big threat to Punjab’s peace is from his (Bittu) side, with the latter offending Sikh sentiments again and again. They stated that for everlasting peace in Punjab, the State must release Sikh prisoners who have been convicted through draconian laws such as TADA.