As four prominent activists made a representation to the Gujarat Governor seeking the release of Lal Singh, a former Sikh terrorist convicted under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA), the Punjab government on Friday released him on parole from Nabha jail, where he is lodged.
Lal singh is among the six former Sikh militants for whose release Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa is presently on a fast unto death at a gurudwara near Chandigarh. On Friday, Kuldeep Nayyar, Colin Gonzalves, HS Phoolka and N.D. Pancholi urged the Gujarat Governor that Lal Singh should be released since his “continued imprisonment is unjustified as he has served his sentence and the Punjab and Haryana high court has thrice urged the State government to consider his release because he was not convicted for murder or any heinous crime.” Lal singh was arrested in 1992 from Gujarat and sentenced under TADA for possessing arms and explosives. He has been in prison for 24 years.
In a judgment last year, the High Court noted that he was released on parole six times and each time there was no allegation of his involvement in any criminal activity or disturbance of peace during parole.
Expressing an apprehension that given Gurbaksh Singh’s deteriorating condition, which has become an emotive issue in Punjab any delay in resolving this matter could jeopardize the hard won peace in Punjab which has returned to normalcy after a decade long dark era of militancy.
The letter to the Governor notes, “It may be appreciated that Lal Singh was convicted for the offence during the militancy in Punjab... from the facts stated in the judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, there seems no valid reason why the government wants Lal Singh to remain in custody even after 24 years. It becomes the duty of the government to ensure that nothing of this nature is caused which tend to disturbs the peace in the State.”
According to a release issued here by Mr. Phoolka, the representations about the remaining five prisoners will be made to the respective State governments where their cases are being heard in due course.
Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, himself a former Sikh militant, has been on a fast unto death since November 14 seeking the release of six prisoners who have completed their jail terms and still not released.
They are Lakhvinder Singh, Shamsher Singh, Gurmit Singh, Lal Singh, Warayam Singh and Gurdeep Singh. All six have completed their sentences.
