In the runup to India celebrating Republic Day on January 26, outlawed separatist organisation ‘Sikhs for Justice’ has threatened the Supreme Court of India and its justices like CJI Bobde to cease stopping the planned ‘tractor parade’ of farmers, in which they will agitate against the three revolutionary farm reforms passed by the country’s parliament in September last year. Speaking to the same effect, SFJ ‘General Counsel’ Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has told the Supreme Court, “Do Not Stop Punjab Farmers Kesari Tractor Rally on January 26.”
As per a report by Zee News, the statement added, “You have sided with those who had committed genocide of Sikhs and now you are siding with (Narendra) Modi government who is responsible for the genocide of Punjab Farmers. This is not 1990’s; It’s 2021 and SFJ Will hold all justices accountable under the international laws.” The threat by the separatist organisation comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde enquiring into allegations of Khalistanis having infiltrated the farmers’ protests.
That an organisation like the SFJ has the temerity to dictate terms to the highest court of the country is in itself laughable. Of course, the Supreme Court is most likely to allow the tractor parade of alleged farmers, citing the democratic ethos of the country and the vast range of freedoms given to protesters and dissidents to air their views. SFJ knows the same and is therefore flexing its muscles before the top court of the country. With much bravado, the organisation will now go around claiming that it was their hard talk which ensured that the tractor parade of farmers goes ahead smoothly. This is a desperate attempt to win support among Punjab’s masses because currently, the organisation enjoys none in India.
SFJ is the same organisation which had espoused to conduct Punjab’s ‘Referendum 2020’, an utterly bogus idea which garnered no takers in the country. In its desperation, therefore, the organisation has resorted to threatening the Supreme Court and Chief Justice SA Bobde with dire consequences.
Meanwhile, India’s National Investigative Agency (NIA) has issued summons to various farm leaders, activists and suspicious individuals over its probe into SFJ. Deep Sidhu, Baldev Singh Sirsa and others have been summoned to appear before the NIA. The Central agency has summoned around 40 people in total for questioning as witnesses in a case related to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) under Section 160 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).