PATIALA: Following the Central government's announcement to release eight Sikh prisoners, the chorus to release other prisoners too who have completed their life sentences, is getting louder in the state.

A five-member panel constituted by Sarbat Khalsa Jathedar Jagtar Singh Hawara demanded to release the Sikh prisoners who have completed their life sentences. The panel revealed there are 22 such prisoners lodged in different jails across the country, including ten of them in Punjab jails and five in Chandigarh's Burrail Jail.

Earlier, these members had staged protest in Chandigarh, Amritsar, Nabha and Patiala demanding release of the Sikh prisoners. They said that many of Sikh prisoners are lodged in jails for the last 24-30 years.

Life convict Lal Singh of Akalgarh village in Phagwara has been lodged at Patiala's Nabha high security jail since 1992. He was awarded life sentence in January 1997 under criminal conspiracy, Sections of TADA, Explosives Substance Act and Sections of Arms Act after explosives were recovered from his possession.

Devinderpal Singh Bhullar of 'Dialpura Bhai Ka village' of Bathinda has been in jail since January 1995 and was awarded life sentence in 1993 blast case. He was booked under Sections of murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, under sections of the Explosives Substance Act by a TADA court in Delhi in August 2001.

Similarly, Gurdeep Singh Khera of 'Jallupur Khera' village in Jandiala Guru of Amritsar district has been lodged in jail since December 1990. He was awarded life sentence in December 2001 by a TADA court in Karnataka under Sections of murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and Sections of TADA and Sections of Explosives Act.

At present, Devinderpal and Gurdeep are lodged in Central Jail Amritsar.

In Beant Singh assassination case, five convicts who have completed their life term are lodged in Burrail Model Jail Chandigarh since 1995, including Lakhwinder Singh alias Lakha of Patiala city, Gurmeet Singh alias Meeta of Guru Nanak Nagar in Patiala city and Shamsher Singh of 'Ukasi Jattan' village in Rajpura of Patiala district . They were given life imprisonment in July 2007 in a case registered against him in August 1995 under Sections of murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy and under Sections of Explosives Act. Another convict Paramjit Singh Bheora of Dekwala village in Ropar district was also named in the same case and has been into jail since 1997. In same case, Jagtar Singh alias Tara of Dekwala village of Ropar was awarded life sentence in March 2018. Tara remained in custody in Burrail Jail from 1995 to January 2004 till Burail jail break. He was again arrested in 2015 and is lodged in the jail since then.

Balwant Singh Rajoana of Rajoana Kalan village in Ludhiana is lodged in Patiala Central Jail since 1995 and Jagtar Singh Hawara of Hawara village in Fatehgarh Sahib was in jail from 1995 to 2004 till Burrail jailbreak but after his rearrest in 2005 he has been into Tihar Central Jail in Delhi. The Hawara committee said that Hawara was neither convict nor an undertrial in Delhi but still he was kept in Tihar jail.

Lodged in Central Jail Patiala since 1995, Subhegh Singh and Nand Singh of Suroon village of Patiala were awarded life sentence in a case registered in February 1995 under sections of IPC including murder and criminal conspiracy.

Baljinder Singh, one of the five-panel members said, "The Sikh community is facing discriminatory behaviour from the judicial system and the governments that had not allowed the Sikh prisoners to come out of jails even after they completed their jail terms. There are 22 prisoners across the country who are facing discrimination and we have written to the President of India to get these prisoners released including three who were given life sentence for waging war against the government after literary books were recovered from them."

