The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday told the Rajya Sabha that neither the National Investigation Agency (NIA) nor Enforcement Directorate (ED) had sent summons to more than three dozen people related to various agencies and groups providing “humanitarian support” to the ongoing farmers’ agitation on the outskirts of Delhi against the three contentious farm laws.
“NIA and ED have not issued summons against 40 people related with voluntary agencies, groups and individuals who are providing humanitarian support to the farmers’ agitation,” the ministry said in a written reply in the Upper House on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the central government and the Opposition arrived at a consensus to allot 15 hours to discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the farmers’ movement.
Last month, farmers’ leaders and the Opposition had claimed that the NIA, the country's premier anti-terror probe agency, had issued summons to 40 activists from Punjab in a bid to “intimidate” them into withdrawing their support to the protests. The summons were reportedly in connection with a sedition case against Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, the legal adviser of the US-based Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a pro-Khalistan outfit. Baldev Singh Sirsa, who heads the Lok Bhalai Insaf Welfare Society, is among those who accused the NIA of sending summons.
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Sirsa, whose organisation is among those leading protests against the farm laws, is among the farmers’ leaders who have held 11 rounds of talks with the Centre thus far, demanding a complete repeal of the legislations. In the 10th round of talks, on January 20, the leaders had raised the issue of the NIA summons with the Centre. Earlier, Sirsa himself had called the summons an “attempt to terrorise the people of Punjab with the sole motive to derail the farmers’ agitation.”
{{/usCountry}}Sirsa, whose organisation is among those leading protests against the farm laws, is among the farmers’ leaders who have held 11 rounds of talks with the Centre thus far, demanding a complete repeal of the legislations. In the 10th round of talks, on January 20, the leaders had raised the issue of the NIA summons with the Centre. Earlier, Sirsa himself had called the summons an “attempt to terrorise the people of Punjab with the sole motive to derail the farmers’ agitation.”
{{/usCountry}}The MHA had banned the SFJ in July 2019, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). In January, the Delhi Police announced that it had, earlier that month, booked the group under the UAPA for advocating “Referendum 2020,” a movement for a separate Sikh state of Khalistan.