AAP seeks police protection for farmers, Capt says not possible

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 31

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab co-in charge Raghav Chadha on Sunday wrote to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, seeking police security for the farmers sitting on the Delhi borders. However, the Chief Minister rejected the request, saying it was “arbitrary, absurd and irrational”.

Chadha, in his letter, stated it was astonishing that the CM had not paid heed to the threat of physical violence and attack from ‘BJP goons’ on the ‘annadatas’. “Our farmer brothers and sisters are at a daily risk of being physically attacked by the BJP goons. They have been exposed to violence for the past few days owing to the BJP’s machinations,” the letter read.

Chadha said the AAP asked Capt Amarinder to deploy the Punjab Police personnel in sufficient numbers to surround the protest sites. “This protection to the farmers is absolutely essential in the light of recent attacks on them,” Chadha said.

Reacting to the letter, the CM said the AAP had clearly lost all sense of Constitutional and legal propriety.

He said as per a Union Home Ministry directive and a Supreme Court order, the Punjab Police couldn’t stay in another state for more than 72 hours even for a protectee, which the farmers are in any case not. “So, this would mean that even if I sign an order today declaring some, if not all, farmers out there as protectees, (which is really neither feasible nor realistic), that would mean the Punjab Police can only be with them for 72 hours and not more.”

Reacting to the CM’s statement, Chadha said: “Deploy the Punjab Police for at least 72 hours. In the meantime, get exemption from the Home Ministry.”