Will protect integrity, Sukhbir’s threats no deterrent: CM on UAPA

CHANDIGARH: A day after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president cautioned Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh against indiscriminate use of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by Punjab Police, the CM said he would do everything under the law, as needed, to protect the security and integrity of Punjab and of the nation.

“The SAD president’s threats cannot deter me from ensuring the safety of my people. If there are any specific instances of wrongful arrest or registration of case by Punjab Police under UAPA, as Sukhbir claimed, he should send a list of the same, instead of making unnecessary noise,” the CM added.

The CM said there was no question of falsely implicating anyone, urging the SAD chief to refrain from playing into the hands of the separatists.

Amarinder said under the SAD-BJP regime, more than 60 cases under UAPA had been registered in Punjab, of which 19 were in 2010 alone and 12 in 2017 and of the 225 individuals arrested in these cases, indicating that indiscriminate application of UAPA had in fact been done by the Akalis during their tenure. “It is shocking that Sukhbir, who is leading a party that claimed to be the custodians of Sikhism, is in fact protesting against the Punjab Police’s fight against separatist and terrorist activities,” he added.

“There are forces bent on destabilising the nation by fomenting trouble and promoting the separatist ideology, such as the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). Sukhbir should know that SFJ has been declared as an unlawful organisation and its chief Gurpatwant Pannu had been designated a terrorist”