Dal Khalsa activists plaster HRTC buses with Bhindranwale's posters

Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Mar 18 (PTI) Dal Khalsa and Sikh Youth of Punjab activists plastered state-owned Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation buses, as well as some private ones, with posters of slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a divisive yet charismatic figure for many.
     The action came a few days after some locals in Manali in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh removed flags bearing his image from the bikes of a group of youths from Punjab.
     A video of the incident made rounds on social media and took exception to by Dal Khalsa and SYP, which staged a protest here on Monday evening.
     To vent their anger, their activists pasted posters of Bhindranwale on buses belonging to HRTC and many other private ones headed towards Himachal Pradesh.
     The protest was led by Dal Khalsa district president Baljinder Singh Khalsa and SYP president Gurnam Singh Moonak, who led a demonstration at a local bus stand.
     "Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale lives in our hearts," Moonak said, and termed what happened in Manali as "unacceptable."
     On Monday, Akal Takht's acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj too condemned the incident.
     "Miscreants" have no right to remove the flags, he said.
     Gargaj asked Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu to take note of the incident.
     He said some mischievous people want to disturb the communal harmony of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
     He also directed the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to take up this issue with the Himachal Pradesh government.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)