Gill Saab
Yaar Malang
Damdami Taksal-led Sant Samaj, which has emerged as a key supporter of Shiromani Akali Dal, has strongly opposed the proposed candidature of former DGP Mohd Izhar Alam on SAD ticket from Malerkotla assembly constituency.
Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Dhuma, who also heads Sant Samaj, has said that Alam should rather be prosecuted for eliminating "innocent Sikh youths" in fake encounters during militancy. In the recently-concluded gurdwara election, Sant Samaj had backed the SGPC and it has already announced its support for SAD in the ensuing assembly election.
"Alam is one of the most infamous police officers of militancy era and was involved in killing of several innocent people. He should not be a candidate of SAD, which has been championing the cause of victims of atrocities," Dhuma said, while speaking to reporters. "Cops like Alam should be prosecuted and punished rather than being promoted in politics," he said, adding, "Alam's role in elimination of Sikhs should be probed by the government".
On sharing stage with Alam during SGPC campaigning last month in Malerkotla, Dhuma said, "It happened inadvertently. I had never seen Alam and was not aware that he was sitting on the same stage till his name was announced to address the gathering. When I came to know about his presence, I raised the issue of innocent Sikh youths, who were killed by the police, at the platform." The US Embassy in Delhi strongly believed that in Punjab, a personal paramilitary force 'Alam Sena' of 'Black Cats' existed during militancy days and it executed staged 'encounter killings'.
Interestingly, Alam and his alleged Alam Sena's name figured for staging fake encounters in a cable from US embassy in New Delhi in 2005. The cable has been recently exposed by Wikileaks. "During insurgency, he (Alam) assembled a large, personal paramilitary force of approximately 150 men known as 'Black Cats' or 'Alam Sena' (Alam's Army) that included cashiered police officers and rehabilitated Sikh terrorists. The group had fanned throughout Punjab and is alleged to have had carried out possibly thousands of staged 'encounter killings'.
"Former director general Punjab Police K P S Gill publicly praised the group, saying the Punjab police could not function without them," the cable, sent on December 19, 2005 by Robert O Blake, deputy chief of mission of US in New Delhi, added.
Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Dhuma, who also heads Sant Samaj, has said that Alam should rather be prosecuted for eliminating "innocent Sikh youths" in fake encounters during militancy. In the recently-concluded gurdwara election, Sant Samaj had backed the SGPC and it has already announced its support for SAD in the ensuing assembly election.
"Alam is one of the most infamous police officers of militancy era and was involved in killing of several innocent people. He should not be a candidate of SAD, which has been championing the cause of victims of atrocities," Dhuma said, while speaking to reporters. "Cops like Alam should be prosecuted and punished rather than being promoted in politics," he said, adding, "Alam's role in elimination of Sikhs should be probed by the government".
On sharing stage with Alam during SGPC campaigning last month in Malerkotla, Dhuma said, "It happened inadvertently. I had never seen Alam and was not aware that he was sitting on the same stage till his name was announced to address the gathering. When I came to know about his presence, I raised the issue of innocent Sikh youths, who were killed by the police, at the platform." The US Embassy in Delhi strongly believed that in Punjab, a personal paramilitary force 'Alam Sena' of 'Black Cats' existed during militancy days and it executed staged 'encounter killings'.
Interestingly, Alam and his alleged Alam Sena's name figured for staging fake encounters in a cable from US embassy in New Delhi in 2005. The cable has been recently exposed by Wikileaks. "During insurgency, he (Alam) assembled a large, personal paramilitary force of approximately 150 men known as 'Black Cats' or 'Alam Sena' (Alam's Army) that included cashiered police officers and rehabilitated Sikh terrorists. The group had fanned throughout Punjab and is alleged to have had carried out possibly thousands of staged 'encounter killings'.
"Former director general Punjab Police K P S Gill publicly praised the group, saying the Punjab police could not function without them," the cable, sent on December 19, 2005 by Robert O Blake, deputy chief of mission of US in New Delhi, added.
