Chandigarh, Feb 18 (PTI) Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday joined the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee's signature campaign which was launched in villages, seeking the release of Sikh prisoners.

Former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal too joined the campaign by signing the form in this regard at Badal village.

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The SGPC had earlier announced that it would intensify its campaign for the release of 'Bandi Singhs' by reaching out to people in villages from February 18.

Sukhbir Badal said it was an honour to join lakhs of Punjabis in signing the form seeking release of Sikh detainees who, he claimed, continued to be incarcerated in prisons even after completion of their life sentences.

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He appealed to SAD workers to assist the SGPC in making the signature campaign drive a mass movement by taking it to each and every village in the state.

He said all Punjabis should sign these forms irrespective of their party affiliations.

He urged Punjabis, including SAD workers, to strive to complete this drive by Baisakhi, according to a party statement.

The SGPC had last December launched the signature campaign for the release of 'Bandi Singhs' (Sikh prisoners), which it claims are lodged in different prisons despite having completed their jail sentences.

The SGPC and Shiromani Akali Dal have been seeking the release of Sikh prisoners including Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh's assassination case and Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, a 1993 Delhi bomb blast convict.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)