Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami has supported the Punjab Bandh call given by the National Justice Front for August 21.
Following the decision, all SGPC offices and institutions will remain closed on August 21.
The SGPC’s Interim Committee meeting, earlier scheduled for August 21, has also been postponed. It will now be held on August 22 at 11 am at the SGPC head office in Amritsar and Dhami said the SGPC has consistently supported efforts for the release of imprisoned Sikhs and will continue to support such struggles, he also alleged that the government is trying to suppress voices demanding their release and said such actions should be opposed.
The shutdown call was announced by the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha after a protest march towards Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria's residence on August 15 ended in clashes between demonstrators and security personnel. Protesters are demanding the release of Sikh prisoners attempted to cross police barricades at the Chandigarh-Mohali border, prompting police to use tear gas shells and water cannons to disperse the crowd.
The Qaumi Insaaf Morcha had called for a march towards the Governor's residence to demand the release of Sikh prisoners, popularly referred to as "Bandi Singhs", the morcha argues that several Sikh prisoners continue to remain in jail despite completing their sentences or becoming eligible for release. Apart from seeking the release of all eligible Sikh prisoners, the group has also been demanding parole for Jagtar Singh Hawara so that he can meet his ailing mother.
The term "Bandi Singhs" is commonly used to refer to Sikh prisoners convicted in militancy-related cases during the Punjab insurgency of the 1980s and 1990s and among those whose release is being demanded are Jagtar Singh Hawara, Balwant Singh Rajoana and Devinderpal Singh Bhullar.
Hawara and Rajoana were convicted in connection with the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, while Bhullar is serving a sentence in the 1993 Delhi bomb blast case and the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha argues that some prisoners have remained behind bars for decades despite completing their sentences.
Following the clash, the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha announced a statewide bandh on August 21 and appealed to people across Punjab to support the shutdown and the bandh is expected to become the next phase of the movement, with the morcha indicating that it will continue its campaign until its demands regarding Sikh prisoners are addressed, however, details regarding the extent of the shutdown and its impact on transport, markets and public services are yet to be officially announced.