Activists want judicial commission to probe Charanjit’s murder

Stage protest outside press club

PESHAWAR: Activists protesting against the murder of human rights and inter-faith harmony advocate Sardar Charanjit Singh have demanded a judicial probe into the killing.

Charanjit was killed on Tuesday when a lone gunman barged into his grocery store and shot him.

On Thursday afternoon, activists and members of the Sikh community gathered outside the Peshawar Press Club, braving the heat, to protest against Charanjit’s murder.

They held up banners and placards demanding justice for Charanjit and accusing the authorities of not providing minorities with adequate protection.

 



Speaking on the occasion, Sana Ejaz, Jamila Gillani, Radesh Singh Toney and others demanded that the government to provide security to the minorities. They said that the protection of citizen was the prime responsibility of the state institutions.

Toney demanded that Charanjit’s killers must be brought to justice. He said that such incidents are earning a bad name for the country and spreading fear among minorities.

Paponder Singh, a member of the Sikh community, said that Charanjit did not have personal enmity with anyone. Despite that, the police have termed it as a murder due to personal enmity so as to get rid of the target killing charges, he claimed.

“Last evening, the Peshawar CCPO and SSP visited the Gurdwara and assured us that the attacker would be arrested as soon as possible and that the Sikh community would be provided with complete security,” he said.



He hinted that the Sikh community did not have confidence in the police pointing out that the community was enraged after Baldev Kumar, the main accused in the murder of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) lawmaker and adviser to the chief minister on minority affairs Sardar Soran Singh, was released by the courts owing to lack of evidence.

He feared that even if the suspect is caught in this case, they could be released owing to a poor investigation.

Separately, while talking to The Express Tribune, right activists Imran Takkar said that Charanjit was a good friend and was active in promoting interfaith harmony in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2018.