CM warns Damdami Taksal over threat to Dhadrianwale

ORDERS POLICE TO ENHANCE HIS SECURITY, AND THOROUGHLY EXAMINE VIDEO IN WHICH DEATH THREAT HAS BEEN ISSUED

CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR: Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday issued a “stern warning” to the Sikh organisation Damdami Taksal over their alleged threats to Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale, cautioning them against any attempt to take the law into their hands.

The CM also ordered the police to enhance Dhadrianwale’s security, and thoroughly examine the video in which the purported death threat is reported to have been issued to him, according to an official release. The video, which went viral on May 20, allegedly shows the Taksal’s spokesperson, Charanjit Singh Jassowal, issuing a death threat to Dhadrianwale, who had escaped an attempt on his life two years ago. Ordering an investigation into the matter, the CM asked the police to identify and scrutinise the video and take suitable action, under the law, against the perpetrators.

He told the Taksal not to step out of its religious boundaries, and warned that he would treat any such “intimidatory acts” as a threat to the state’s peace and harmony and those found guilty would face stern action, added the release. He said he would not tolerate the “misuse of religion to spread terror or score personal brownie points”. “I am completely in favour of granting full freedom to religious organisations to propagate and uphold their religious tenets, but will not allow them to indulge in any act that has the potential to disturb the peace and amity of the state,” he said.

In Amritsar, hitting back at the CM, Taksal leaders said they will not be scared. In a press release, Ajaib Singh Abhiasi, Hardeep Singh Anandpur and Sarchand Singh said the CM should refrain from “damaging the respect of the Sikh seminary”. They alleged that Dhadrianwale is distorting Sikh history and the CM is supporting him. “The way the CM has targeted Taksal chief Harnam Singh (Dhumma) Khalsa suggests that he wants to damage the organisation (Taksal) which is 300 years old. Consequences will be dire.”