BATHINDA: In view of panthic organisations’ opposition , the Faridkot district administration has denied permission for the proposed ‘Pol Khol’ rally of Shiromani Akali Dal at Faridkot on Sunday, leading to an outcry by the party. Ex-chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal were to address the rally.Earlier, the rally was to be held at Kotkapura town on Saturday but after certain Sikh organisations strongly opposed it, the party had postponed it by a day and had changed the venue from Kotkapura to Faridkot. On last Sunday too, a similar rally was organised at Abohar town, where Badal senior had clarified his position on sacrilege and police firing incidents during his tenure.The panthic organisations, which have been protesting at Bargari from June 1, had on Monday approached Faridkot district police with a request not to allow SAD to hold rally at Kotkapura or anywhere else in the district. They had also warned that if the permission was given to the Akali Dal, they would oppose the rally.“With tabling of the report of Justice Ranjit Singh commission it has come out in the open that former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was in touch with police officers on the night of September 13, 2015, just few hours before police firing on protesters at Kotkapura and that Sukhbir Badal played part in pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim by top clergy. We find Shiromani Akali Dal leaders to be anti-panth and we wanted that they should not be allowed to hold rally and our request has been accepted,” said United Akali Dal general secretary Gurdeep Singh Bathinda.When contacted, Faridkot SSP Rajbachan Singh Sandhu said that SAD had sought permission to hold rally at Faridkot but going by the fear of disturbance of law and order situation, the police had recommended to district administration not to grant permission. The administration had thus denied permission for the rally.“It is like imposing undeclared emergency and murder of democracy. It is also snatching the fundamental right of expression and democratic right of electioneering when election campaigning for zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections is on. We will not tolerate it and will fight against this injustice. We are also consulting the legal luminaries to fight a legal battle against this dictatorial decision,” said SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema.

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