"If General Dyer Responsible for Jallianwala...": Charanjit Channi Slams Badals

Targeting the previous SAD government over the police firing in Faridkot in 2015, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday asked if General Dyer was held responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, then why not the Badals for the firing on peaceful protesters.

Two persons were killed during the police firing on people protesting against sacrilege in Behbal Kalan, while some persons were injured in the firing at Kotkapura in Faridkot in October 2015. At that time, the Shiromani Akali Dal was in power.

"If General Dyer was responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre then why not the Badals for firing on innocent and peaceful protesters in the Bargari case," Mr Channi told a gathering.

An official release quoted Mr Channi saying that unarmed Sikhs who were peacefully chanting hymns were killed in the firing at Bargari and Sukhbir Singh Badal and Parkash Singh Badal, the leaders of Akali Dal, are solely responsible for this incident.

He further said, "Our great revolutionary Shaheed Udham Singh had waited for years to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre where hundreds of innocent people were killed by the Britishers on the orders of General Dyer." Saluting the contribution of Shaheed Udham Singh in the freedom struggle, Mr Channi said his head bows in reverence for this land which has produced the great revolutionary Shaheed Udham Singh and he was also feeling honoured that the memorial at Sunam Udham Singh Wala has come up during the tenure of his government.

Mr Channi said that his government would soon unveil the statue of 'Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh' at village Badrukhan near Sangrur city as the preparations were already in full swing.

The CM said that his government was proactively engaged in resolving the issues being faced by the common people of the state which was clearly visible from the recent decisions.

Mr Channi said in the past, the Badals “looted” the state exchequer and right after taking office as the CM, he had directed the newly inducted cabinet Minister Raja Warring to act tough against the “illegal” transport business of the Badals.

Punjab goes to assembly polls early next year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)