Pak court directs Lahore police chief to decide on plea seeking security for Bhagat Singh’s death anniversary event

Lahore: A Pakistani court on Tuesday directed the Lahore police chief to decide on a petition seeking foolproof security for an event to be held next week to observe the 93rd death anniversary of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukh Dev.

The petition was filed in the Lahore High Court last week by the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Pakistan chairman advocate Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi. It urged the court to direct the Punjab government to provide foolproof security and install walk-through gates for the event planned for March 23 at the Shadman Chowk here, to avoid any untoward incident.

During the hearing of the petition, Lahore High Court Judge Shahid Karim directed the Lahore police chief to decide on Qureshi's application regarding foolproof security for the said event.

In his petition, Qureshi had said that the Punjab government had not entertained his request for the provision of security at the event being organised at Shadman Chowk, where Bhagat Singh along with his two comrades was hanged 93 years ago.

Qureshi had told the court about the threats he received in the past from extremist elements for "a session in the memory of Bhagat Singh".

Earlier this month, the LHC issued notices to the Punjab provincial government and the district administration on a petition seeking contempt proceedings against three top officials for not complying with the court's order regarding naming the Shadman Chowk in Lahore after Bhagat Singh.

The LHC in 2018 had ordered the government to name the Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh where he was hanged.

Bhagat Singh, who fought for the independence of the subcontinent, was hanged by British rulers on March 23, 1931, along with Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar after being tried under charges of hatching a conspiracy against the regime.

Bhagat Singh was initially jailed for life but later awarded the death sentence in another “fabricated case”. Bhagat Singh is respected in the subcontinent not only by the Sikhs and Hindus but also by Muslims.