AMRITSAR SAHIB, Punjab—Amid ongoing struggle for facilitating the primary status to Punjabi language on the government hoardings & signboards installed in Punjab, the activists of Sikh Youth Federation Bhindranwala (SYFB) staged a protest outside historical Jallianwala Bagh on October 24 seeking uplifting the order of Punjabi language on board installed at its entry gate.
Sikh activists led by SYFB’s Senior Vice President Bhai Ranjit Singh Damdami Taksal registered their peaceful demonstration by holding a banner portraying correct order with Punjabi script inscribed on top.
Addressing the gathering on this occasion, Bhai Ranjit Singh Damdami Taksal said that it was very unfortunate that the mother language (English) of perpetrators of Jallianwala Bagh massacre was being given higher priority while the mother language of victim Punjab masses has been placed on last in board installed at the entry gate of Jallianwala Bagh. He added that the mother tongue is being given priority on boards installed in every state of India then why the Punjabi language was being given step-motherly treatment in Punjab.
After staging the protest, the SYFB activists submitted a memorandum to the Mr. S.K. Mukherjee, the Secretary of Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Management Committee.
Giani Simranjit Singh Mann, Bhai Harpreet Singh Tony, Bhai Paras Singh, Bhai Gagandeep Singh, Bhai Navpreet Singh, Bhai Malkit Singh, Bhai Gurinder Singh and others were present on this occasion.
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April, 1919 when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer fired machine guns into a crowd of non-violent protesters, along with Baishakhi pilgrims, who had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab. The civilians, in the majority Sikhs, had assembled to participate in the annual Baisakhi celebrations, a religious and cultural festival for Punjabi people and also to condemn the arrest and deportation of two national leaders, Satya Pal and Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew.
