UAPA being used to terrorise Sikh youths, says Akal Takht

The youths are being booked under UAPA without any reason or for minor offences. I think this is an attempt to create an atmosphere to terrorise Sikh youths.

GIANI HARPREET SINGH,

Akal Takht’s acting jathedar

AMRITSAR: Slamming the central and state governments for arresting Sikh youths on charges of reviving terrorism, Akal Takht’s acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Monday said the use of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) to victimise Sikhs needs to stop.

The statement came after Bholath MLA and Punjabi Ekta Party (PEP) chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira, along with rebel AAP legislators and families of the arrested youth, met the jathedar, seeking his intervention in the matter.

They handed over a memorandum stating that it was a “well-designed conspiracy” by central agencies and Punjab police to implicate innocent Sikh/dalit youths.

The memorandum added that police are specifically targeting poor and innocent people, who are unable to raise their voice against such oppressive measures.

The jathedar said, “The affected families shared their sorrows, which I found very tragic. The youths are being booked under UAPA and put behind bars without any reason or for minor offences. I think this is an attempt to create an atmosphere to terrorise Sikh youths. The youths may have committed some mistakes but it does not mean that their lives are completely ruined.”

The head of the highest Sikh temporal seat added, “Today, Sikh youths are living in fear. We would like to ask the Centre and Punjab government to stop terrorising people. We have asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to help those booked under UAPA and provide them legal assistance.”

“Most youths who were booked belong to poor Dalit families. They were breadwinners of their families. One of them has committed suicide. There must be an impartial judicial probe into the suicide. Besides, an overall judicial probe must also be conducted to verify if these youths deserved to be booked under UAPA,” he added.

The memorandum also demanded that a monthly pension of ₹5,000 should be provided to aggrieved families.