Sikhs stage black flag protests against desecration

Carrying black flags and placards, Sikh activists of various outfits, including radical groups, today staged peaceful protests at various places in Punjab against the desceration of holy book last month, with demands for time-bound probe by CBI.
The protesters were also demanding recovery of stolen 'bir' (religious scripture) of Guru Granth Sahib from village Burj Jawahar Singhwala on June 1 at Faridkot, arrest of real desecrators and of those cops who had fired at protesters killing two Sikh activists and injuring several others at Behbal Kalan village last month and making their names public.
They also demanded scrapping permanently the case registered against two brothers Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh, who were arrested earlier but released yesterday with police saying there was not sufficient evidence.

The protesters, including women, formed a human chain adjacent to roads, including National Highways and state highways criss-crossing the state without disturbing traffic, police said.
Chanting 'Satnam Waheguru', the protesters were supported by representatives of dalit and muslim communities at various places in the state.
Both the India-Pakistan cross-border Sada-e-Sarhad buses, plying to and fro New Delhi and Lahore, passed through Phagwara normally, police said.

The protesters were agitating against sacrilege incidents of Holy Guru Granth Sahib at different places in the state last month.
Some of the placards propagated the November 10 'Sarbat Khalsa' (congregation of Sikhs) convened by radical Sikh outfits at Amritsar, police said.

Apprehending that the CBI probe into the desecration incidents could meet the fate of 1984 riots, the protesters demanded a time-bound probe by the investigating agency.
"If the CBI probe into the desecration cases is to go the anti-Sikh riots way where nothing came out even after 31 years, then the inquiry into incidents of desecration should be handed over to United Nations(UN)", demanded the protesting Sikh Sangat, Sikh bodies, Gurdwara committees, Women Wing Societies, dalit and muslim representatives.