Akali veteran Surat Singh on fast-unto-death

Chandigarh, Punjab: An 83-year-old veteran of various agitations launched by the Akali Dal, Bapu Surat Singh has been on a fast-unto-death protest in Ludhiana demanding “political prisoners” status for all the Sikhs detained for their involvement in what he described as the “Sikh struggle.” He has sought the release of all those who had completed their prison sentences.

Through an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his bed in the Ludhiana civil hospital, Bapu Surat Singh said that in the true tradition of the Sikh Gurus, he sought to “reiterate the legitimate historical status and position of the Sikh people, struggling to find a foothold in a country which is fast turning monolithic and centric under your stewardship and under the dominance of your party and mentors.”

He was shifted to the hospital after the police picked him up from his village about 12 days ago. He had begun his fast on January 16.