Chandigarh, Jul 15 (PTI) The Punjab assembly on Tuesday decided to constitute a committee to find out a missing portion of an action-taken report on the 1986 Nakodar sacrilege and police firing incidents.
The matter was taken up by Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on the concluding day of the special session of the assembly as members of the House discussed the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025 here.
During the then Shiromani Akali Dal regime, five sacred ‘birs’ (copies of Guru Granth Sahib) were set ablaze at Gurdwara Sahib Guru Arjan Dev in Nakodar on February 2, 1986.
Four youths - Ravinder Singh Littran, Baldhir Singh Ramgarh, Jhirmal Singh Gursiana, and Harminder Singh – were shot dead on February 4, 1986, while protesting against the sacrilege.
Participating in the discussion on the anti-sacrilege bill, Cheema brought to the attention of the House that the Justice Gurnam Singh Commission report, a copy of which is in the Vidhan Sabha, but an action taken part mysteriously disappeared.
He urged Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to form a committee to find out the crucial report.
Later, the Speaker announced the formation of a committee to find out the report.
Cheema said the missing part of the Justice Gurnam Singh Commission’s report will enable the people of Punjab to ascertain the truth behind the 1986 incidents, understand actions of those involved at that time, and see the reality of their descendants’ current actions.
However, heated exchanges took place between Cheema and Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira after the former took Khaira’s father name Sukhjinder Singh, who was then a minister in the Surjit Singh Barnala government in 1986.
Cheema alleged that the then minister Sukhjinder Singh had opposed the building of a gate in the name of one of the victims Baldhir Singh Ramgarh.
He expressed regret that not a single action or First Information Report (FIR) was filed by the then government.
Responding to Cheema’s accusation, Khaira said the minister was misleading the House.
Amid the verbal duel between Cheema and Khaira, the speaker asked the Congress MLA not to disrupt proceedings of the House and warned him of naming him for indiscipline.
Khaira dared Cheema to have an open debate with him over the issue outside.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa intervened in the matter and said, “let us not go personal.” Cheema stated that historically, whenever the Shiromani Akali Dal led government or a religiously aligned government came to power in Punjab, there were attempts, either directly or through conspirators, to desecrate Guru Granth Sahib, aiming to destabilise the state. PTI CHS ZMN
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