Shiromani Akali Dal condemns Delhi violence

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday condemned the Republic Day violence in Delhi, saying the country can prosper only through perseverance of atmosphere of peace and communal harmony.

Party leader Bikram Singh Majithia also sought an “international inquiry” into the manner in which a few “self-styled” leaders allegedly incited violence under the garb of farmers tractor parade held on Tuesday to highlight the demands of the farmer unions to repeal the three new agriculture laws.

Wielding sticks and holding the tricolour and union flags, tens of thousands of farmers atop tractors broke barriers, clashed with the Delhi Police and hoisted a religious flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort after entering the city from various points.

Clashes broke out in multiple places, leading to violence in well-known landmarks of Delhi and its suburbs, amid waves of violence that ebbed and flowed through the Republic Day.

In a statement, the SAD said that it stood opposed to the use of violence in any form by anyone and reiterated its "strong and unswerving commitment to peace and communal harmony".

"We have always stood for and made supreme sacrifices for preserving these values. We are firmly of the view that Punjab and the country can progress and prosper only through the perseverance of the atmosphere of peace and communal harmony," the party said following an emergency meeting of its core committee.

In its resolution, the opposition party in Punjab cautioned the Union government gainst using the incident as an “excuse to scuttle” the genuine demands of the farmers.

"We will aggressively pursue these demands in the forthcoming session of parliament,” the party said.

Meanwhile, Majithia claimed that some “anti-social” elements had played into the hands of agencies who wanted to “torpedo” the tractor parade and sought an “international inquiry”.

“Only an international inquiry could expose the anti-social elements that had already been named by the independent media as well as their handlers,” he said in a statement here.

The central agencies cannot do this probe as they are apparently “mixed up in sabotaging” the 'Kisan Andolan' and ensuring farmers and 'khet mazdoor' do not get their just dues”, he alleged.

Stating that the intentions of the “saboteurs” had already become clear when they overtook the stage at the Singhu border and incited people to resort to violence, Majithia said “it is surprising that law enforcement agencies did not act against them immediately”.

He alleged that it was even more “bizarre” that the same people were given a “free run” to enter the Red Fort which is otherwise impossible to even approach due to heavy security deployment.

He said the fact that the government did not even react to the developments on Tuesday had made it clear that the acts of violence were part of a “deep rooted conspiracy”.