State ‘oppression’ to be dealt with legally, says SAD chief

Taking cognisance of the alleged police repression against the party workers after the Tarn Taran bypoll, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) mulls taking legal course in this regard. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal blamed the state government for misusing the administrative and police machinery in “terrorising” SAD workers.

Besides registering cases against SAD workers, the party’s IT wing head Nachhatar Singh was arrested from the Ranjit Avenue locality of Amritsar recently.

“On the orders of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, the Punjab Police first broke every law to steal victory for AAP in the Tarn Taran by-election, and even now, fake cases are being registered against Akali Dal leaders and workers,” said Sukhbir Badal. Questioning the CM and DGP, Sukhbir said the state oppression would be dealt with legally.

He wrote. “I ask the Chief Minister and the DGP Punjab Police. Has Punjab been declared a police state, with all laws and citizens’ rights suspended? We will fight this state oppression against our workers with full might. And to all those obeying these illegal order, slaw will catch up with every one of you.”

Meanwhile, SAD senior vice-president and former minister Daljit Singh Cheema said it was unconstitutional and illegal on part of the government to arrest Nachhatar Singh. He said before Nachhatar Singh, false cases were slammed on Kanchanpreet Kaur, daughter of SAD candidate Principal Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, for which the Election Commission of India suspended SSP Dr Ravjot Kaur Grewal for her “illegal” actions.

“He had worked tirelessly for SAD in the Tarn Taran by-election and this has irked the AAP leadership. This was not the first instance when he has been arrested illegally, he was earlier booked last year too but courts of the law provided relief to him. We will approach courts to get justice,” he said.

The party’s chief spokesman Arshdeep Singh Kler said the arrest of Nachhatar Singh from a café and the deletion of the DVR record of the café by the Punjab Police team clearly indicates that it was aware of the “illegality” of their action.