Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 4: Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) J&K has alleged that Sikh community was facing discrimination on every front in the State.
In a meeting of the SAD held at Gurudwara Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Chand Nagar Jammu today, various Sikhs social and religious organisations alleged that the community members were feeling alienated and deprived and neglected in social, employment, transfer, promotions and various matters at the hands of present dispensation as well as previous Government.
It was expressed by the speakers that even prior to independence, the community used to get the representation in State legislator and State Cabinet which practice continued up to the rule of National Conference Govt led by Farooq Abdullah but thereafter, this procedure has stopped and in the present dispensation Sikh community neither have any representation in State Assembly nor in State Cabinet.
Being a minority community in the State, Sikhs are not being provided legitimate rights and benefits which they deserve. Sikh employees are being meted out step motherly treatment at the hands of administration in matter of their posting, transfer and promotions. One recent glaring example to quote is that Govt has recently issued an SRO wherein non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits living in valley have been covered under Prime Minister’s employment package ignoring Sikh minority community living under harsh, difficult and vulnerable security threats in far flung areas of Kashmir valley in more than 124 villages. On the contrary it seems that they are being punished for staying back in the Valley during this turmoil.
They also demanded amendment in Gurudwara Endowment Act 1973, implementation of Anand Marriage Act enacted in 1954, rehabilitation of PoJK DPs of 1947 as per recommendation of Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs, make Ansari Commission report public and de-freezing of 4 seats for Sikh refugees out of 24 seats reserved for the people of PoK.
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