Tarsem Singh condemns Punjab govt’s denial of parole to son Amritpal

Terming the Punjab Government’s denial of parole to Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh as “direct assault on democracy”, his father Tarsem Singh said it was an attempt to silence an elected public representative.

“He had sought parole for attending the Winter session of Parliament scheduled to be held from December 1 to 19 and not for holding any public rally or meeting his family. He wanted to raise the voice of the people he was representing,” said Tarsem Singh.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, he said the government’s justification of “law and order” and “state security” concerns was unfounded. He also accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of acting out of political vendetta. They also criticised the government for relying on identical reports from Amritsar Rural officials to create a “baseless narrative of threat”.

He said their party Akali Dal Waris Punjab De would continue to oppose alleged “undemocratic high-handedness”, and vowed to expose the Punjab Government’s alleged “partisan and politically motivated decision” at every forum.

He was reportedly denied parole on the basis of concerns over potential law and order issues by Amritsar Deputy Commissioner and SSP Amritsar Rural. He has been under the NSA detention since June 2023 in Assam’s Dibrugarh Central Jail.

In May 2024, he won from Khadoor Sahib constituency as an Independent candidate.