SGPC honours kin of Vaidya’s assassins, then denies it

They had even issued a press release on Tuesday stating that Jinda and Sukha's relatives had been honoured with siropas; SGPC secretary Dalmegh Singh denied this on Wednesday, claiming that they "had not honoured the kin"

Days after the attack on Lt Gen (retired) K S Brar in London, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday honoured the relatives of Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh Sukha, the assassins of Gen A S Vaidya, who was the Army Chief during Operation Bluestar.

Jinda and Sukha were hanged on October 9, 1992, for killing Gen Vaidya on August 10, 1986. While the SGPC has been reported to observe their death anniversary in the past too, an akhand path was held in the Golden Temple yesterday, after which Jinda's brother, Bhupinder Singh, and Sukha's relative, Surjit Kaur, were presented siropas.

The SGPC even issued a press release yesterday stating that the duo's relatives had been honoured with siropas by Dharam Singh Ardasiya.

But SGPC secretary Dalmegh Singh denied this today, claiming that they "had not honoured the kin of Jinda and Sukha". When told that the press release issued yesterday mentioned that he was among those present at the function, Dalmegh Singh said: "Only if I or the SGPC president bestow some honour on someone, can it be considered as an honour by the SGPC."

Asked about the SGPC observing the duo's death anniversaries in the past, he replied: "I have no idea about the past".

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar could not be contacted. SGPC publicity in-charge Kulwinder Singh, who issued the press release yesterday, said: "There is nothing new in this. Whenever there is akhand path for anyone, the relatives are given a siropa."

Centre will not interfere in Bluestar Memorial: Shinde

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said on Wednesday that the Centre would not interfere in the construction of the Bluestar Memorial in Amritsar.

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