Seeking action against the “murderers of innocent farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri”, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday said the Centre should withdraw the three farm laws to contain the farmers’ unrest and ensure no more lives are lost”.

After a meeting of SAD’S core committee, party President Sukhbir Singh Badal said the central government should repeal the farm laws as quickly as possible keeping in mind the sentiments of the farming community. “This is also needed to contain unrest and ensure no more lives are lost,” he added.

The core committee expressed shock that no concrete action had been initiated against those responsible for the brutal murder of innocent farmers at Lakhimpur. The SAD also demanded a judicial probe into the entire incident including inflammatory speeches rendered by Union minister of state for home affairs Ajay Misra.

The core committee also took strong notice of the manner in which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi was interfering in the internal affairs of the Sikh community. It noted that the AAP government was preventing the constitution of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on one ground or another despite the fact that the SAD had won an absolute majority.

The SAD president said it was shocking how a flimsy ground was prepared to deny the co-option of Manjinder Singh Sirsa to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) as a nominee of the Shiromani Committee. “Sirsa’s nomination was correct in all aspects and it was also certified that he was conversant with Punjabi language but the latter excuse was used to reject his nomination,” Badal said.

He also disclosed how seven to eight members of the SAD who had won the DSGMC elections had been nominated as accused in false cases to intimidate them. Asserting that the AAP government in Delhi was out to destroy constitutional institutions, Badal said the SAD would not tolerate this direct interference in the religious affairs of the Sikh community under any circumstances.

“The Sikh community freed the ‘guru dham’ from the control of Mahants after a long struggle and will fight to ensure the process of law is followed while forming the DSGMC as well as other Sikh institutions”.