Radical Sikh group Shiromani Akali Dal honoured 55-year-old Jarnail Singh today, who slapped Punjab Panchayat Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka on November 20 in Hamirgarh village, Bhatinda. Jarnail was unhappy with the way the Punjab government handled the sacrilege cases.

The minister faced major embarrassment as he reached Hamirgarh to get support from locals for Akali Dal rally. The minister's turban fell off when a villager, Jarnail Singh, slapped him. The middle aged villager was thrashed by the supporters of minister before he was handed over to the police. He was admitted to a Faridkot hospital. The police had registered a case against him under various sections of IPC.



He had accused Akali Dal (Badal) of misusing religion for politics and registering false cases against innocent people."Jarnail Singh is a true Sikh who was mercilessly beaten-up for showing the courage to question the minister. We honoured him at his residence and presented him a cash reward of Rs 2.20 lakh," President ,Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), Simranjit Singh Mann said.



CBI has registered a case and is probing three sacrilege incidents reported in Punjab. The cases were handed over to CBI after the Punjab government failed to solve the mystery.