:dateline:Various Sikh organizations, including�Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), have stepped up efforts for the release of political prisoner, Bhai Daya Singh Lahoria. �
Bhai Lahoria was sentenced to�life imprisonment by a Jaipur court in 2004 for kidnapping Rajendra Mirdha, the son of senior Rajasthan Congress leader, Ram Niwas Mirdha. �As per the FIR issued, he, along with two others, had kidnapped Rajendra Mirdha to pressure the Narasimha Rao government to release another political prisoner,�Professor�Devenderpal Singh Bhullar. �Bhai Lahoria’s life sentence was later upheld by the Supreme Court, however�the court�s verdict specified that Bhai Lahoria could be released after 20 years of imprisonment. He�has now been in prison�for more than 20 years.
Recently, Rajya Sabha member and senior Akali leader, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, wrote a letter to Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Sri Vasundra Raje, informing�him of an unnecessary delay in the release of Bhai Daya Singh Lahoria. �Earlier, SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar had also taken up the matter with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, asking him to release Bhai Daya Singh Lahoria.�Similarly, DSGMC President Manjit Singh GK had also appealed to the Rajasthan government to release Bhai Daya Singh Lahoria due to�his declining�health.
