Himmat Singh Retracts; Accuses Several including Justice Ranjit Singh of Forcing Him to Testify Against Badals

:dateline:In a major setback to the Sikh community on August 20, witness number 245 (Himmat Singh) of the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission withdrew his previous statement in which he had exposed the deal between Shiromani Akali Dal and the Sirsa cult for granting an unasked pardon to Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Witness number 245 Himmat Singh, who is brother of the former Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Giani Gurmukh Singh, has withdrew his statement exactly a few days before the presentation of Commission�s report in the Punjab assembly during the monsoon session beginning on August 24. �

Quickly after withdrawing his statement, Himmat Singh said in a video clip uploaded by the English vernacular The Tribune that he was forced to sign a pre-typed document in English as well as Punjabi by the Jail minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. He claimed that he wasn�t even allowed to read what was written in the document signed by him.

Beside it, he also leveled allegations against Justice Ranjit Singh and United Akali Dal�s general secretary Gurdeep Singh Bathinda of being involved in forcing him to sign a pre-typed document.

However, the Jail minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has refuted the allegations leveled against him by Himmat Singh. He has said that Himmat Singh had come to meet him twice along with Rupinder Singh seeking job but he couldn�t help him as his academic qualification is only matriculation.

Surprised over Himmat Singh�s move of retracting his statement, �Why would I press him to make a particular statement? I didn�t even summon him. He approached the Commission on his own. The record of his signed statement typed in Punjabi is available. He has changed his statement maybe because Himmat Singh�s brother Giani Gurmukh Singh was recently reinstated by the SGPC,� said Justice Ranjit Singh, adding that Himmat Singh had even given them copies of the edicts passed on September 24, 2015 and October 16, 2015 granting and withdrawing pardon to Sirsa cult chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim respectively.