Withdraw security from outsiders: HC to Punjab govt

Punjab and Haryana high court today asked Punjab government to withdraw security provided to outsiders. It also asked the state government to file a compliance report for same within 4 weeks. Sanjeev Verma reports

Punjab and Haryana high court today asked Punjab government to withdraw security provided to outsiders. It also asked the state government to file a compliance report for same within 4 weeks.

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Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate HC Arora questioning deputing of Punjab policemen to provide security to people living outside the state, the court said that it is the responsibility of concerned states to provide security to protectees residing in its territory.

The petitioner had informed the court that liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother Hardeep Singh Chadha, who died in a shootout on November 17 in Delhi, had also been enjoying Punjab police security at the state's expense. He added that as per newspaper reports, many influential persons such as former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, Anurag Thakur, member of Parliament from Himachal Pradesh; Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal)'s Delhi unit president Manjit Singh GK; and SAD (Badal) national general secretary Avtar Singh Hit had also been provided Punjab police security.

The court was informed that the deployment of Punjab police personnel for security duty of other states' residents amounted to wastage of taxpayers' money in Punjab, and as these police personnel did not report to the police authorities of other states, they were discharging their duties in other states in an illegal manner.