Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab on Wednesday held a strong protest and gheraoed Congress Bhawan in Chandigarh over the assault and humiliation of senior Dalit Congress leader Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra by Punjab Congress leader Barinder Singh Dhillon, at the behest of former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
Raising slogans of “Dalit Virodhi Congress Murdabad” and “Sikh Virodhi Congress Murdabad”, AAP leaders and volunteers demanded justice for Tarkhan Majra and strict action against those responsible. When protesters sought accountability from Rahul Gandhi, who was in Punjab for his ‘Insaf Rally’, Chandigarh Police used water cannons and force against them before detaining several AAP leaders and taking them to Sector 17 Police Station.
Addressing the protesters, AAP Punjab Halka In-charge from Sri Chamkaur Sahib, Jasvir Singh Garhi, said that the police action is not merely an attack on AAP workers but an attack on every Dalit. He said, “Every baton that landed on a protester today struck the chest of the Dalit community. People will answer both the BJP and Congress in the 2027 elections. Rahul Gandhi must explain why Sikhs were killed when his father Rajiv Gandhi justified the 1984 violence by saying that when a big tree falls, the earth shakes. His so-called Insaf Rally rings hollow when his own party cannot deliver justice to a Dalit worker.”
Recalling the atrocities against Punjabis during Congress rule, Jasvir Singh Garhi referred to the torture of youth in police stations, humiliation of elderly people, cremation of 35,000 unidentified bodies without informing their families, the attack on Sri Akal Takht Sahib, destruction and looting of the Sikh Reference Library, and the abduction and murder of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.
He questioned when the victims of these atrocities would receive justice and why Rahul Gandhi had not spoken out against the treatment meted out to Congress’s own Dalit leader, Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra.
Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said Congress had consistently used Dalits as a vote bank while denying them dignity, rights and justice. Referring to Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa’s derogatory use of the word “material” for Dalit MLAs in the Assembly and Raja Warring’s remarks about former Union Home Minister Buta Singh, the Cabinet Minister said such language reflected Congress’s deeply entrenched mindset.
He said Tarkhan Majra was slapped, threatened and humiliated in front of his son despite having served Congress for four decades. Demanding strict action, ETO called upon Congress to expel Barinder Singh Dhillon and ensure registration of a case against him under the SC/ST Act.
AAP MLA Ishank Chabbewal said that Congress’s anti-Dalit mindset is not new. Recalling how Congress opposed Baba Sahib Ambedkar in the 1951 election, he pointed out that votes in his favour were deliberately cut. He said the treatment meted out to Tarkhan Majra, an old Congress worker who had served the party in several positions, exposed Congress’s attitude towards the Dalit community.
Condemning the assault and casteist remarks against Tarkhan Majra, Ishank Chabbewal questioned the complete silence of the Congress’s senior leadership. He said, “A party holding an Insaf Rally must first answer why it has failed to ensure justice within its own office.”
AAP MLA Rajnish Dahiya said the humiliation of a loyal Congress worker in front of his son was deeply shameful. Referring to Tarkhan Majra’s emotional video seeking justice, he questioned why Dalit Congress leaders were participating in Rahul Gandhi’s rally instead of first standing up for their own colleague.
Rajnish Dahiya also criticised Bharat Bhushan Ashu’s reported response that such incidents and abuses kept happening, calling it an indication of the insensitivity of the Congress leadership. He demanded Dhillon’s expulsion from the party and registration of a case against him.
AAP leaders said the BJP and Congress were working in tandem to suppress the voice of the Dalit community, pointing out that BJP police resorted to force against protesters seeking accountability from Congress. They asserted that the use of water cannons, force and detentions would not deter AAP from raising its voice against injustice.
The leaders vowed to continue their struggle until senior Dalit Congress leader Ranjit Singh Tarkhan Majra receives justice and strict action is taken against those responsible.
