Navjot Singh Sidhu should be “beheaded” for hugging an “enemy nation’s Army chief” said Sanjay Jaat, a man who claims to be the district convener of Bajrang Dal’s Agra unit.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, the fringe group activist can be seen burning the cricketer-turned-politician’s effigy and announcing a bounty of Rs 5 lakh ($ 10,000 approx.) on the Punjab state minister’s head, while flashing the cheque on the camera.
“He is a traitor and his act is unpardonable. Treason charges should be slapped against him. Sidhu seems to have forgotten teachings of Sikh Guru Gobind Singh,” said the Bajrang Dal leader in the clip.
Mr Sidhu has been facing flak for his hug with Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and his participation in the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan.
A sedition case has also been filed against the former sportsman in the eastern state of Bihar by Sudhir Kumar Ojha, a lawyer who has accused Mr Sidhu of “insulting the families of Indian soldiers killed by Pakistan’s army over the past several years.”
Addressing the controversy, Mr Sidhu offered a detailed explanation saying his hug with the Army Chief was an “emotional response” after General Bajwa informed him that Pakistan was deliberating on India’s long standing demand of providing access to Kartarpur Sahib, a historic Sikh gurudwara in Pakistan’s Narowal district.
Drawing comparisons with the previous visits of leaders to Pakistan, he argued that his visit to Pakistan and efforts to strike peace between the two neighbours was no different than the previous attempts made by the Indian government.
Paddling into the controversy in a bid to silence Mr Sidhu’s detractors, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan posted tweets describing Mr Sidhu as an "ambassador or peace".
He wrote that "Those in India who targeted him are doing a great disservice to peace in the subcontinent."
But even Mr Khan’s intervention has so far failed to appease Mr Sidhu’s critics who continue to question Mr Sidhu's motives.
54-year-old Sidhu who was the only Indian guest at Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's oath-taking ceremony, had earlier said he received lots of love and respect in Pakistan.
