Amritsar: The political game over the conviction of BJP MP and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu was played on Tuesday at Amritsar gurudwaras, as both the Congress party and the BJP offered prayers for their own causes.
While Congress leaders went to Akal Takht to perform ardas (prayers) seeking justice for the family of Gurnam Singh, who died after getting hit by Sidhu in 1988, the BJP leaders on the other part of the city took out a foot march to Gurdwara Baba Budha Sahib to offer prayers for the welfare and chardi kalan (high esteem) of Sidhu.
Sukhjinder Raj Singh Majithia, a Congress leader reached Akal Takht along with his supporters to perform ardas on Tuesday morning and said, "The ardas was performed for justice to the suffering family of Gurnam Singh and suitable punishment for the guilty".
Anil Joshi, who took out the foot march from Amritsar to Gurdwara Baba Budha Sahib, Kathunangal, about twenty kilometres from Amritsar, alleged, "Sidhu became victim of Congress Party's machinations but he is a truthful person and would emerge out of crisis".
On December 1, the Punjab and Haryana High Court convicted Sidhu for causing the death of Gurnam Singh in 1988 in an altercation following a parking dispute.
A division bench comprising Justices Mehtab Singh Gill and Baldev Singh quashed a lower court order of September 22, 1999 acquitting Sidhu in the case.
Sidhu was found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code.
The court will now decide on the quantum of punishment to be given to Sidhu on December 6. Under Section 304 of the IPC, the maximum sentence is ten years.
Following this, Sidhu resigned from Lok Sabha membership immediately.
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