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Crackdown on Amritpal ‘hyped’ says Punjab Opposition; FM Cheema praises cops
Former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi termed the crackdown on Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh as a mere ‘drama’ by the state government and Punjab police.
Former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi termed the crackdown on Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh as a mere ‘drama’ by the state government and Punjab police.
“For the past one and half months, security forces in Punjab are cordoning off the village after village to arrest Amritpal. On Sunday, Amritpal surrendered before the police. Punjab government created the whole drama of arresting him from Rode village but the reality is completely different,” Channi alleged while addressing a gathering in Alawalpur village in the Adampur assembly segment. Channi addressed five election rallies in favour of party candidate Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary.
He added that the government has been trying to create an atmosphere of fear among the general public by imposing Section 144 or by shutting down internet services. “The government had issues with Amritpal, but they harassed his wife for no reason. Punjab police would have failed to track him if he hadn’t surrendered after 36 days,” Channi added.
Deal with Amritpal as per law: SAD
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday said that following the peaceful manner in which Amritpal Singh has handed himself over to the police, the AAP government should proceed against him ‘as per law and put an end to the prosecution and harassment of innocent Sikhs’.
In a statement here, SAD spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said: “Now that Amritpal Singh had submitted to the majesty of the law, it was incumbent upon the AAP government to explain why it had created a fear psychosis on this issue. The actions of the AAP government till now have only served to defame the Sikh community besides resulting in a flight of capital from the state and a sense of insecurity amongst Punjabis. Communal tensions have also been deliberately inflamed.”
FM Cheema praises Punjab police
Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the people of Punjab are peace-loving people who want development only.
“After a 36-day long operation today, Punjab Police arrested him. Amritpal tried to pull a similar stunt as the Ajnala incident in which he used Guru Granth Sahil Palki as a shield, but once again, Punjab Police worked efficiently,” Cheema said.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to maintaining peace and law and order in the state. “People of Punjab trusted and supported the government throughout this operation, the result of which no unfortunate incident had happened during the Amritpal operation,” Cheema said.
