EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.VINAY KOCHHAR/AMRITSAR/CHANDIGARH.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has expelled Bibi Roop Kaur Sandhu from the party’s primary membership. According to Women’s Akali Dal President Hargobind Kaur, this action was taken due to persistent allegations of indiscipline and misconduct against Roop Kaur Sandhu.
This action by the Akali Dal has generated considerable discussion in political and sectarian circles because, for some time now, Roop Kaur Sandhu has been openly addressing the case of a woman who arrived in Punjab from Bahrain and has leveled serious allegations against senior Akali Dal leader and former SGPC member Amarjit Singh Chawla.
Dr. Roop Kaur Sandhu provided a public platform to the complainant through her Facebook page. The woman appeared live on her Facebook page, narrating her ordeal and demanding justice. Subsequently, the issue escalated from social media to the political and religious institutions of Punjab.
Chawla has resigned from the Akali Dal.
A case was registered against Amarjit Singh Chawla at the Sri Anandpur Sahib police station on August 21. Chawla denied the allegations, calling them false and fabricated, and later resigned from his positions in the Akali Dal and the SGPC. Following this, the police investigation proceeded, leading to a search of Chawla’s Ludhiana residence and questioning of family members.
Sandhu has made a significant claim.
The police have summoned some individuals connected to the case to join the investigation, and a lookout circular has been issued against Chawla. Meanwhile, Roop Kaur Sandhu claimed on social media that after the woman’s case surfaced, several other women had contacted her, and that further revelations could emerge in the future regarding some prominent figures in Punjab’s religious and political circles. However, these claims have not been independently confirmed.
Questions about the timing of the expulsion.
Now, the Akali Dal’s action has given the entire incident a new political twist. The party leadership maintains that Roop Kaur Sandhu was expelled from the party not because she raised the woman’s issue, but because of persistent allegations of indiscipline and misconduct.
On the other hand, a look at the sequence of events raises the question of why she was expelled from the party at a time when she was providing a public platform to the complainant.
Roop Kaur Sandhu’s role is also in the news because she brought the woman’s case to the public by bringing her case to the forefront on her social media platform. Now, this same Roop Kaur Sandhu is out of the Akali Dal organization. Punjab’s political and sectarian circles are watching closely to see what stance she takes on the Chawla case after her expulsion, and whether she releases any documents or complaints regarding the other matters she alluded to on social media. While the police investigation into this entire matter is ongoing, questions are also being raised about the position of political parties and religious organizations. A faction of the Akali Dal has demanded the formation of a special investigation team in the case, while action has also been taken by Sri Akal Takht Sahib in the case of Amarjit Singh Chawla.###USA###UK###CANADA###PUNJAB###CHANDIGARH###MOHALI###LUDHIANA###SGPC###SAD###SUKHBIR###BADAL###AUSTRALIA###NEWZEALAND###GERMANY###ITLAY###SINGAPORE###CHINA###