AAP leaders behind 2015 desecration incidents, alleges SAD

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday claimed that AAP leaders were behind the 2015 sacrilege incidents in the state and only an independent probe could bring out the truth.

The incidents involving the alleged desecration of religious texts had taken place when the SAD-BJP combine was in power in Punjab.

Two persons protesting against the alleged incidents had died in a police firing that year. At that time, AAP was a new entrant in the state politics.

The allegation has come two days after Punjab’s AAP government introduced an anti-sacrilege Bill in the state Assembly, which was sent to a select committee to hold discussions with all stakeholder over it.

Flaying ruling AAP, SAD vice-president Parambans Singh Romana told mediapersons that incidents of sacrilege had started occurring in Punjab only after the party’s foray into the politics.

He cited how an AAP legislator – Naresh Yadav — “had been arrested and convicted for committing sacrilege of the Quran Shareef (in Malerkotla)”.

The SAD leader alleged that Punjab Ministers Harpal Cheema and Harjot Bains had then defended the legislator.

“Both ministers should not only be dismissed from the cabinet for supporting a sacrilege accused but a criminal action should also be initiated against them,” Romana demanded.

He said similar action should be taken against AAP leader Sandeep Pathak for “recommending that the party ticket from Mehrauli in Delhi be given to Yadav post-conviction, and also against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal for approving the same”.

Romana said Yadav was arrested a month after the Malerkotla sacrilege incident, which occurred in June 2016.

He alleged that Yadav had transferred Rs 90 lakh into accounts of the accused besides making 13 telephone calls to them.

He said Harpal Cheema and Harjot Bains had defended Yadav in the court and subsequently when AAP came into power, the complainant in the case was “forced to withdraw the same”. “Despite a request from the public prosecutor that the complainant wanted to withdraw the case, the sessions court convicted Naresh Yadav,” he said.

Punjab