Lalpura said what happened during the dark days of militancy in Punjab was because of the failures of the government of the time, criticising the Congress
13 July, 2026 – New Delhi : Former chairman of the National Minorities Commission and senior member of the BJP parliamentary board, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, on Monday said no side should politicise Diljit Dosanjh-starrer “Satluj” and that every political leader in Punjab must work to strengthen Hindu-Sikh unity.
A day after he urged his party colleague Ravneet Singh Bittu to stop questioning the claims of deaths shown in the film and cited the National Human Rights Commission’s orders on compensation in these cases, Lalpura said what happened during the dark days of militancy in Punjab was because of the failures of the government of the time.
His criticism was directed at the Congress.
Lalpura said this is a time of healing and quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stress the need for Hindu-Sikh unity.
“The pursuit of all non-Congress parties in Punjab has always been the unity of Sikhs and Hindus and the preservation of communal harmony of Punjab,” he said.
Lalpura, who was one of the three baptised Sikh cops who went to arrest Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale on September 20, 1981, recalled the events of that fateful year.
Speaking to The Tribune, he said that after the killing of Lala Jagat Narain on September 9, 1981, Bhindranwale was willing to surrender on September 13, but his surrender was postponed to September 20.
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“Why was the surrender postponed in the first place? Later we arrested Bhindranwale from the headquarters of Damdami Taksal at Mehta Chowk but only after he had addressed a large crowd. This arrest was followed by violence and he was again released on October 15. Why was he arrested if he had done nothing wrong and why was he released if he had done something wrong? These were questions for government of that day,” said Lalpura.
He said now is the time to apply balm on the wounds of Punjab, not to politicise.
The Tribune