Capt to Rajnath: Do away with blacklist on religious lines

Ravi S.Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 22

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today asked Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to do away with the system of making a blacklist on religious lines.

A Punjab Government spokesperson said: “Rajnath Singh agreed to have a relook at the same.”

During a 30-minute meeting between the two leaders at the Union Minister’s residence here, Capt sought review of the blacklist of Sikh youth to facilitate their joining the national mainstream, which Rajnath Singh agreed to. The Union minister also accepted Capt’s request to allow the descendants of the blacklisted Sikhs to visit India.

The list pertains to youths for their alleged involvement in subversive and anti-India activities during the militancy days in the state.

Capt drew the minister’s attention to a “serious conspiracy” to disrupt the communal harmony in the state and urged him to direct the CBI and other Central agencies to expedite their investigation into the cases of sacrilege and targeted killings.

He pressed for augmentation of efforts on the part of Central agencies in view of the recent intelligence inputs indicating possible attack on RSS Shakhas, Dera Sacha Sauda Naam Charcha centres, religious places and target individuals.

Besides, the CM raised several demands to secure the state’s inland and to create bulwarks against Pak-inspired terrorism and infiltration along the border.

He sought five additional BSF companies to further secure the Indo-Pak border. Batting for setting up a second line of defence as part of the national security grid, Capt urged for immediate funding of Rs 205 crore in infrastructure, capacity building and manpower.

The CM urged the ministry to provide funds to meet the recurring annual costs of the 2 IRB Battalions, for which it had recently sanctioned Rs 31 crore each.

He batted for additional CISF/CRPF forces to secure high-profile prisons. Amarinder suggested their deployment for at least six months at sensitive jails because the 8,000 recruited police personnel would take more than a year to be trained to be duty-ready.

Capt also sought classification of Punjab as a “Category-A” state for financial assistance to modernise its police forces on 90:10 Centre-state sharing basis - on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern states.