Punjab defends Amritpal's detention, cites confidential intelligence

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 29

The Punjab Police has told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that MP and ‘Waris Punjab De’ head Amritpal Singh's “fresh detention” was entirely “on fresh grounds” and is “strictly in accordance with the law.”

In an affidavit submitted to the high court, IPS officer and Amritsar (Rural) Superintendent of Police Charanjit Singh said the decision to detain the petitioner in Dibrugarh, Assam, almost 2600 km away, was taken “on the basis of the sensitivity of the case.”

It was also denied in the affidavit that the petitioner was punished for being vocal. “In fact, there is material on record which proves that the petitioner has been deeply involved in activities which are prejudicial to the security of the State and public order,” the IPS officer said.

The affidavit said it was also important to bring to the courts notice that intelligence inputs showing the anti-state activities and the petitioners involvement with foreign agencies was in itself a threat to the state’s security and public order.

The intelligence inputs showing the active role of petitioner Amritpal Singh and his associates were confidential/secret in nature and important to be considered.

Confined in Dibrugarh Central Jail, Amritpal Singh was seeking directions for quashing, among other things, “entire proceedings initiated against him under the National Security Act, including detention orders.”

In his petition placed before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kshetarpal, Amritpal Singh said his detention under the NSA was illegal and as such liable to be set aside. His right to life and liberty had been taken away completely in “an unusual and cruel manner by not only invoking the preventive detention Act for more than a year, but also by detaining him away from the State of Punjab.”

“It serves no purpose whatsoever except to punish the petitioner for being vocal against the State and the Central government on major political issues, which is a democratic right of every citizen of this country,” he added.

“The grounds of detention are primarily based on social media posts uploaded by different persons across the world, which have hardly any impact in the State of Punjab and possibly the security of the State of India cannot be so fragile as to be impacted by social media posts.”

He added the Amritsar District Magistrate could not pass any orders “with respect to the security of India under the provisions of the NSA and only the Central government or the State government could issue the same.”