Punjab: Eternal vigilance, not violence, is the price of liberty

Dear Punjab , Dear Sikhs !

Let us not squander the goodwill won with so much hard work and sacrifice by the farmers' agitation by falling into the trap of planned “ sacrilege “ followed by mindless, lawless, ruthless and unholy lynchings.

Can we afford to again play into the hands of the 'schemers', who know exactly how to provoke. No, we can’t afford it. What if sacrilege of SGGS or other Sikh symbols/ holy places occurs outside Punjab?

First a wrong precedent will be allowed to be made the norm in Punjab. Then the management of Gurudwaras, even Takhts outside Punjab will feel the pressure to do the same. Imagine the utter chaos that will follow.

What is the solution ?

Simple solution :

Let the state govt form a statewide single SIT under supervision of a single sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court . Let each and every case that occurs be placed before it immediately after registration of the case in the local PS , or let every case of sacrilege of SGGS or a Gurudwara or Gutka be treated as part of a single conspiracy case, to be registered at SGPC Hqrs local PS in Galiyara PS near Harmander Saheb.

For Public and Gurudwara Managements and State Govt:

Increase vigilance , film the incident or at least the capture and initial questioning of the criminal , request GOP and HC to keep all the culprits in one high security jail in Punjab , then question them all together in one place.

The questioning should be conducted by trained lawyers as well as police officers under CCTV and footage made public on a daily basis . Let the culprits corroborate or contradict each other’s stories. This can be done in open court or by an SIT under HC Judge's supervision .

Within days the conspiracy will be unearthed.

Then plan your next steps.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on politics and elections , and especially role of SGPC, Nihangs and the Deras.

Eternal vigilance , not eternal violence, is the cost of liberty.

(Written by a retired civil servant, a Sikh, who wants to remain anonymous. Views are personal)