SGPC chief meets fasting Sikh activist

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar met Sikh activist Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, on an indefinite fast demanding release of Sikh prisoners across the country who had completed their jail terms, here today and asked him to break his fast.
Makkar and Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee head Jagdish Singh Jhinda reached Gurudwara Lakhnaur Shahib and asked Gurbaksh, who has been on fast for the past 54 days, to call off his agitation.
Both talked to Gurbaksh for an hour, but he refused to end his fast, saying his demand should be met first.
The Sikh activist asked Makkar to talk to Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal about his demand so that at least the prisoners lodged in state jails could be immediately released.

Makkar assured him he would raise the matter with the Chief Minister and with the Central government, according to SGPC functionaries.
Talking to reporters, Jhinda lashed out at the Shiromani Akali Dal and Amritsar-based SGPC, alleging they were not serious about the issue.
"SAD's Bathinda MP (Harsimrat Kaur) is a Minister in the Narendra Modi Cabinet, but she has not raised this issue with the Centre," he said.
A doctor who examined Gurbaksh said his condition was serious and advised his immediate hospitalisation.