Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday raised serious concerns in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha over the mysterious disappearance of the “action taken” portion of the Justice Gurnam Singh Commission Report, which probed the tragic incidents of 1986 in Nakodar. While a copy of the report is available in the Vidhan Sabha records, the action taken section has reportedly gone missing.
Cheema urged Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to constitute a committee to trace the missing document. Responding to the request, the Speaker announced the formation of a special committee to investigate and locate the missing portion of the report.
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The Finance Minister made the revelation during a discussion on the Punjab Prevention of Crime Against Religious Scriptures Bill, 2025, linking the missing report to broader themes of justice, accountability, and historical truth.
He emphasised that the retrieval of the full commission report would help the people of Punjab understand the full scope of the 1986 events and the role of those in power at the time. “This will also expose the contrast between their past actions and their present-day posturing,” he said.
Cheema referred to the February 2, 1986 incident, when five sacred ‘Birs’ of Guru Granth Sahib were set on fire at Gurdwara Sahib Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Nakodar during the tenure of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) government.
He also recounted the events of February 4, 1986, when four Sikh youths —Ravinder Singh Littran, Baldhir Singh Ramgarh, Jhirmal Singh Gursiana, and Harminder Singh — were shot dead while peacefully protesting the desecration, drawing a parallel with the later Bargari protests.
Highlighting the political context, Cheema said that the state government at the time was led by then Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala with Captain Kanwaljit Singh as Home Minister and Sukhjinder Singh Khaira, father of present Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, serving as Education Minister. He criticised the then government for failing to register even a single First Information Report (FIR) or initiate any action against those responsible.
Cheema said the 1986 incidents, and the lack of accountability that followed, were part of a larger pattern. He claimed that each time the SAD or any religiously aligned party assumed power in Punjab, deliberate attempts were made—directly or through conspirators—to desecrate the Guru Granth Sahib, creating unrest and instability in the state.
The formation of the committee to trace the missing report marks a renewed effort by the current government to bring closure to one of the most painful chapters in Punjab’s recent history.
