Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 21: Chairman National Commission for Minorities, S Iqbal Singh Lalpura on the invitation DGPC Jammu, visited Gurudwara Baba Fateh Singh, at Gandhinagar where he was given a rousing reception by a large gathering comprising of office bearers of various DGPC’s of Jammu division and other Sikh intellectuals.
President DGPC Jammu, Ranjeet Singh Tohra delivered welcome address. Later, Balvinder Singh vice president, Surjit Singh general secretary DGPC Jammu, Charanjit Singh Bholla president DGPC Kathua, Gurmeet Singh member DGPC Samba, Ranvir Singh joint secretary DGPC Jammu highlighted various issues pertaining to Sikh community and the step motherly treatment meted out to micro minority community by the successive governments. including some of the long pending demands.
Balvinder Singh while speaking on the occasion apprised the Sangat about their detail meeting with Iqbal Singh Lalpura both at Delhi and at Circuit House Jammu whereby DGPC Jammu submitted two separate memorandums, yesterday, one pertaining to demands to be addressed by Central Govt and another pertaining to JKUT administration.
Later while speaking to media Iqbal Singh Lalpura stated that he had taken up the matter mentioned in the memorandum submitted by DGPC Jammu yesterday with LG Manoj Sinha particularly demands raised in the memorandum like additional ex-gratia to be paid to the NoK’s of those killed in 1989 anti- Sikh riots in Jammu, to take up steps for implementing Punjabi in schools and to issue necessary instructions for the promotion of Punjabi in JKUT, implementation of Anand Marriage Act in JK UT, installation of statue of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur at Kunjwani Chowk, grant OBC status to Sikhs living in Kashmir Valley, Bhatra Biradri and Shikligar Biradari of JKUT, to extend 27% OBC quota in JKUT to Lubana Biradari , already granted to them by the Central Government and is implemented in various other states of the country.
Iqbal Singh said that Manoj Sinha has expressed keen interest in addressing the above mentioned genuine & legitimate demands of Sikh community at the earliest.
He also appreciated the role of elected members of various DGPC’s in presenting the burning issues of microscopic Sikh community of JKUT in right perspective.
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