Punjab Assembly erupted into chaos on Wednesday as Congress MLAs staged a protest after being denied a discussion on law and order. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also condemned the use of the National Security Act against pro-Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh. As the Question Hour began, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa asked Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan about the adjournment motion on law and order moved by his party. The speaker disallowed it, leading Congress legislators to rush to the well of the house and shout slogans.
During the Zero Hour, SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali said an “atmosphere of terror” had been created in the state, referring to the police action against Amritpal Singh and members of his outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’. Amritpal Singh is on the run after police launched a crackdown against his outfit on Saturday and arrested a number of his aides. A viral photo and a CCTV footage later showed him riding pillion on a bike wearing a pink turban and black goggles.
On Wednesday, police announced that they had recovered the bike on which Amritpal Singh fled near a canal in Jalandhar. “The bike has been recovered. Further investigations are on,” a police official said in Jalandhar. A police team also reached Jallupur Khera, Amritpal Singh’s native village in Amritsar district, and met some of his family members.
Inside the assembly, Bajwa asked the chair to give Congress members some time to speak on the matter, but the speaker retorted, “I want to say to you that Question Hour is sacrosanct… People of Punjab will not tolerate this. People are watching you.” SAD’s Ayali alleged that many Sikh youths are being implicated in “false cases”. “The NSA which has been invoked I understand is completely wrong,” he said.
State BJP president Ashwani Sharma objected to the use of the word “Sikh” by Ayali, saying Sikhs are a brave community. However, he agreed that there should not be any action against innocent persons. Slamming Amritpal Singh, Sharma said the radical preacher had said he was not a resident of India and does not believe in the country’s Constitution and law.
Punjab Police arrested four people on Tuesday for allegedly helping the Khalistani sympathiser escape their net and released his seven photographs, including some in which he is not wearing a turban. Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill has said 154 people have been arrested as part of the crackdown. He said the four people arrested for helping Amritpal Singh escape in an SUV have revealed that the fugitive had gone to a gurdwara in Nangal Ambian village in Jalandhar. “There he changed clothes, wore a shirt and pants and escaped along with three others on two bikes,” Gill said.
