Dal Khalsa activists and leaders will assemble at the highest Sikh temporal authority -Akal Takht Sahib in the morning of 29 September to pray for the likes of Hardeep Singh Nijjar who have been killed extrajudicially in Punjab, India, and various other countries of the world. WSN reports.

Coinciding with the 42nd anniversary of the revolutionary poet, Sikh ideologue, and Dal Khalsa leader -Bhai Gajinder Singh and his associates’ peaceful hijacking of an Indian Airlines Flight from Chandigarh, Dal Khalsa will be commemorating the day as Prayer Day at Akal Takht Sahib on 29 September 2023.

The hijacking on 29 September 1981 was done to protest the police’s disrespect towards Sikh religious scriptures, the arrest of Sikh savant-leader Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale on 20th September, and the police killing of 13 Sikhs at Mehta Chowk.

Significantly, after serving a life sentence in Pakistan related to the hijacking case, Gajinder Singh continues to reside in that country, having sought refuge there. It is in Pakistan that a few months ago, Sikh militant Paramjit Singh Panjwar was killed by unknown gunmen. Dal Khalsa had even then alleged that his killing was also the handiwork of the Indian security apparatus.

Senior leader of Dal Khalsa, Kanwarpal Singh, described Gajinder Singh as a stateless Sikh who wishes to live freely on his own terms, but regrettably, due to the Indian government’s misleading propaganda, influential countries around the world have closed their doors to him.

Speaking to The World Sikh News, Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh said, “Countless Sikhs are living as Stateless persons in various parts of the world. With the United Nations not intervening in any of the cases, the least we can do for them is to pray for justice with the hope that one day, like Canada, somebody will take note of their plea.”

The Dal Khalsa press note read, “The Ardas is for the well-being of the families of those who are in exile and for the success of the Sikh sovereignty and freedom struggle.”

“We are determined to seek justice for martyrs like Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar who were killed in unlawful and unjust ways. The culprits of the extrajudicial killings will not go unpunished.”

“We are determined to seek justice for martyrs like Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar who were killed in unlawful and unjust ways. The culprits of the extrajudicial killings will not go unpunished.”

Party’s General Secretary Parmjit Singh Tanda shared that the Akal Takht Sahib recognized and honoured Gajinder Singh’s sacrifices for the Panth by bestowing upon him the title of ‘Martyr Sikh Warrior’ on 20th September 2020.

Party general secretary and spokesperson Paramjit Singh Mand said, “With the intervention of Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, once again the demand for a Sikh state is centre-stage. We acknowledge the role of the Canadian government and consider it a significant victory of the self-determination movement.”

Leaders of the pro-freedom Dal Khalsa also welcomed the release after four years of the prominent leader of the Hurriyat Conference, which is fighting for Kashmir’s freedom –Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. They hoped that Mirwaiz’s release would pave the way for the release of other imprisoned journalists, human rights activists, and pro-freedom political leadership.”