SAD MLAs dump sacrilege report outside Punjab Vidhan Sabha

The legislators of opposition SAD today dumped the Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh Commission report on sacrilege incidents outside the Assembly complex, even before it was tabled in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

The one-man commission was set up by the Congress government in April 2017 to investigate the various incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and other religious texts.

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal rejected the report, describing it as "waste paper".

"The report has no sanctity," Badal said.

He alleged that it was prepared at the residence of chief minister Amarinder Singh.

The SAD has accused the Congress of defaming the Akalis by blaming them for the sacrilege incidents.

Legislators of the opposition party also raised anti-government slogans.

SAD MLA Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that Amarinder Singh, Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh and Sikh preachers Baljit Singh Daduwal -- parallel jathedar of Damdama Sahib -- and Dhian Singh Mand -- acting jathedar of Akal Takht in 2015 -- had "colluded" to prepare the report.

He blamed Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI for the sacrilege incidents.

Pakistan's ISI is bent upon disturbing the peace and communal harmony in Punjab, Majithia said.

He demanded the arrest of Justice Ranjit Singh, a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa for allegedly fabricating evidence and leaking a top secret document before its submission in the Vidhan Sabha.

The first part of the 182 page report was leaked online earlier this month.

The SAD and its ally BJP have submitted a notice for breach of privilege motion to the Speaker K P Singh against those who leaked the report.

Majithia accused Justice Ranjit Singh of going beyond the terms of reference to conspire to "weaken" the SAD as well as the hallowed institutions, including the Akal Takth, Sikh's highest temporal seat, and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

The government will table the report along with action taken report in the House today, officials said here.

The report dealt with incidents of sacrilege at village Burj Jawahar Singh Wala, Bargari and firing incidents at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in 2015.