I stand by my statement, says Sarna

Chandigarh, Punjab: Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee’s (DGMC) chief Paramjit Singh Sarna has dared the Punjab government to register a case against him for his reported statement on providing all legal assistance to the suspects in the case pertaining to the attack on leaders of the Ravi Dass sect in Vienna, Austria.

Reiterating the stand of the DGMC, Sarna told The Tribune over the phone that there was no question of any change in the stand taken by him or the Delhi gurdwara body. “We will do our best to provide the Vienna case suspects all possible legal assistance as is possible,” he added.

His earlier statement had led to protests and even violent demonstrations in some parts of the Punjab by followers of the Ravi Dass sect. The sect had demanded action against the DGMC chief for his remarks terming them highly provocative and unwarranted. At a demonstration in Doaba last week, protesters had demanded even the registration of a criminal case against Sarna.

Bowing to the pressure of the sect, the Punjab government was reportedly examining the possibility of initiating legal proceedings against Sarna. Since his statements were made outside Punjab, some experts advised against any action against him.

“Let the Punjab government go ahead with its nefarious design of harassing me or DGMC leaders by using the content of my statement as basis of registering a case for inciting religious disrespect or hatred for other sects or communities. As a Sikh, it is my right to defend and stand by those who volunteer to make supreme sacrifices for defending the tenets and ideals of Sikhism,” Sarna added.

“The bankrupt Punjab government does not have to spend its time or money in arresting me. Let the government tell me when and where I have to present myself before the police, I will do it on my own. Let the Punjab government put me in jail for as long as it wants. But, the consequences for registering a case or putting me in the jail will squarely rest on the Akali government of Punjab,” Sarna added.

Further, he said, his case would not go to the normal court of law for adjudication but would rather be tried by the larger court of people of Punjab in general and the Sikhs in particular.