PATIALA: A large number of Congress workers and supporters of Navjot Singh Sidhu reached outside Central jail in Patiala on Saturday ahead of release of former Punjab Congress president, however the District Congress Committee (DCC) skipped to reach the venue for his welcome.
Meanwhile, the security near the jail has been beefed up amid Sidhu's release who is likely to get Z plus security. Sidhu, after addressing media outside jail, is expected to visit religious places in the city including Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib and Kali Devi Temple and would also meet his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu who recently got detected stage II invasive cancer.
On Saturday morning, information was shared from Sidhu's Twitter and Facebook handle that he would address the media at around noon, however he was yet to walk out of jail. Sources revealed he would come out around 3PM.
The release of Sidhu, who has spent over 10 months inside Patiala Central jail since May last year in a road rage case, is said to have filled a new hope among the party workers.
The workers and supporters carried out celebrations hours before his release while a "Bhangra" team performed on the Dhol beats outside the jail on Saturday. Many leaders and workers recalled and credited Sidhu for his role in the coming up of the "Kartarpur Corridor" between India and Pakistan.
DCC Patiala president Naresh Duggal who was appointed by state president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, said that there was no message from the party following which his team didn't reach outside jail to welcome Navjot Sidhu.
Notably, in October last year, Raja Warring had thrown out Sidhu’s confident DCC president Narinder Verma Lali and expelled him from the party for six years.
Narinder Lali has made preparations for a warm welcome for Navjot Sidhu who had worked as a clerk inside jail during his imprisonment term.
"We have installed a number of hoardings in the city and Sidhu will be given a warm welcome on the route from Patiala Jail to his home. Earlier, this Republic Day also we had done preparations and installed around 250 hoardings in the city as his release was then speculated under Amrit Mahaostav scheme, but the Patiala Municipal Corporation officials had then removed all the welcome posters. A number of leaders and workers from across the state have reached today to give rousing welcome to Sidhu".
On May 20 Navjot Sidhu had surrendered before trial court and was sent to Patiala central jail a day after the Supreme court had announced him to undergo one-year rigorous imprisonment in a 1988 road rage case in which an elderly man had died. Sidhu later had sought special diet provision from the court on grounds that he has been facing health issues including embolism and a liver ailment following which a board of directors on court’s directions examined Sidhu and recommended him a special diet.
In July last year, Sidhu also lodged a complaint with the jail authorities alleging that his canteen card was misused by his co-inmates to whom he gave his card to bring some special diet recommended by the board of doctors. The inmate was shifted after Sidhu’s complaint.
