SUKKUR: A large number of members of the Sikh community, their well-wishers and supporters took out a rally in Jacobabad on Monday in protest against desecration of their holy book Guru Granth Sahib in India and killing by police of fellow Sikh protesters who were agitating against the incident of sacrilege in India.

The enraged protesters started the rally from Gurdwara carrying an effigy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reached the DC Chowk where they held a sit-in and torched the effigy. They later marched to the press club where they held a sit-in again.

Addressing the protesters at the press club, Sardar Santosh Singh, Sardar Shamsher Singh, Sardar Sarandar Singh, Sardar Saran Singh, Sardar Ajeet Singh, leader of the Sunni Tehreek Abdul Khaliq Qadri, leader of Jamiat Talaba Islam Hamadullah Ansari, father Shah Rukh, Hindu leader Dileep Kumar, Riaz Ahmed Abro, Ghulam Sarwar Sadhayo and others said that Modi government had been playing with fire since it came to power. Modi was a terrorist and killer of thousands of innocent people, they said.

They said that incidents of desecration of the holy book of the Sikh community appeared to be aimed at creating a law and order situation. Instead of maintaining peace, police further added fuel to the fire by opening fire on innocent Sikh protesters who were expressing their anger at the sacrilege, they said.

They demanded that the United Nations Organisation and international human rights organisations take immediate steps to stop the Modi government from such provocations and hurting religious sentiments of minorities.

They warned of staging a strong protest in front of the Indian embassy if such transgressions did not stop.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2015

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