CAPT AMARINDER WARNS OF BEFITTING RESPONSE TO ANY BID BY BANNED OUTFIT TO DISTURB STATE’S PEACE
CHANDIGARH, AUGUST 31:
Even as the Punjab Police registered an FIR against the ISI-backed Khalistan idealogue over his continued attempts to promote violence in the state and his recent assassination threat against the Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday warned Gurpatwant Singh Pannu against any attempt to disturb the state’s peace, stability and communal harmony.
Asserting that any bid by the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and its self-styled General Counsel to create trouble in Punjab would be countered with the full might of his government, the Chief Minister said, “Nobody will be allowed to disturb the hard-earned peace of Punjab and again plunge our people into the dark abyss of the terrorism days, which took thousands of innocent lives,” declared Captain Amarinder, warning of a befitting response to SFJ’s disruptive and divisive acts.
Noting that as the land of the Gurus, who had always propagated the ideology of oneness of humanity, Punjab was home to all people, regardless of religion, caste and creed, the Chief Minister said Pannu’s pathetic attempts to once again fan hatred, divisiveness and violence in the name of religion and in the garb of a peaceful secessionist campaign for the attainment of Khalistan has already been strongly repudiated by the people of Punjab and India, who want to live and prosper in peace. All political leaders and parties had condemned Pannu’s Pak ISI funded campaign for a separate nation, the CM noted.
The Chief Minister’s strong warning to Pannu came even as the Punjab Police on Monday registered an FIR against the SFJ leader for issuing an assassination threat against the former through a video posted on SFJ’s Facebook page.
The FIR (no. 34) has been registered against Pannu, his associates, and SFJ members at State Cyber Crime Police Station SAS Nagar, under Sections 10 (a) and 13 (1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, besides sections 153, 153A IPC and Section-124 A of IPC, disclosed DGP Dinkar Gupta, adding that Pannu had been found promoting violent extremist action and threatening assassination of the Chief Minister, an elected constitutional Head of government of the State of Punjab.
Citing preliminary investigations into the video posted on August 28, the DGP said the said video clearly suggested a criminal conspiracy against the Chief Minister, who was shown in the video as being targeted with bullets by a gun. Further investigations were underway to unearth the complete conspiracy, he added.
It may be recalled that SFJ had in July issued a threat against Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. The threat had claimed that the outfit will not allow the Himachal Chief Minister to hoist the national flag on the Independence Day. The Himachal Police had then registered an FIR against Pannu.
Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a pro-Khalistani outfit based in US, was declared as ‘Unlawful Association’ by the Government of India through a notification issued on 10th July 2019, in exercise of powers conferred by Sub-sections (1) and (3) of Section 3 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, after it was found to be indulging in activities prejudicial to internal security of India and the public order and have the potential of disrupting peace, unity and integrity of the country. It had been found involved in anti-national and subversive activities in Punjab and elsewhere under the garb of a peaceful campaign to form a sovereign country called Khalistan, out of the territory of Union of India. The banned outfit was also found to be in close touch with members of militant outfits and radical organizations/elements involved in fomenting strife in Punjab.
